Northern Minnesota woman charged with voter fraud in forgery of dead mom’s name

A northern Minnesota woman who signed her late mother’s signature on two absentee ballots faces three felony charges for illegal voting in Itasca County, according to court documents.

Danielle Christine Miller, 50, told authorities that her mother, who died in August, was an “avid Donald Trump supporter” who wanted to vote for him in the 2024 presidential election — but she died before she received her ballot in the mail. Miller, of Nashwauk, Minn., faces two charges of submitting intentionally false certificates and another for casting an illegal vote or aiding another.

Her first appearance is via Zoom Dec. 4 in Itasca County Court, based in Grand Rapids.

According to the complaint, the ballots were still sealed when they were flagged by the Itasca County auditor because one envelope had the signature of Rose Marie Javorina, who had died. An officer from the sheriff’s department who reviewed the ballots found that Javorina’s name was signed on the witness section for Miller’s ballot; Miller was listed as the witness for Javorina. The signatures, according to the lieutenant who reviewed them, were similar and done in the same ink.

Miller admitted she had filled out her mother’s ballot and signed her name on the signature envelope, in addition to signing her mother’s name as a witness to her own ballot.

Absentee ballots were mailed to residents of Itasca County on Sept. 20. Javorina died Aug. 31, according to court documents.

Neither of the ballots were counted and are now in evidence. It’s likely Miller would be allowed to recast her vote, because she doesn’t fall under any of the categories that would make her ineligible, though the final decision would be the county attorney’s, according to Austin Rohling, Itasca’s auditor/treasurer.

Miller could not be reached for comment. Rohling said about 30,000 ballots will come through during this year’s election. It’s common to see small mistakes, he said. But this is the first time he has seen something that resulted in felony charges.