Politics, as it is well known, is a dirty game. Sadly from time to time it also appears to be an illegal one. Annette Bosworth (Republican) and Clayton Walker (Independent) have both been formally charged with perjury as well as election fraud after the recent South Dakota election. South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has publicly stated “The election complaints received by the secretary of State involve conduct that is serious, deliberate and must be addressed in order to preserve the integrity of our elections.”
Bosworth has been accused of submitting nominating petitions claiming that she was the one who gathered the signatures. Her story conflicts with her own travel dates that put her out of the country at the time the petitions circulated. Investigators claim to have evidence that Bosworth was in the Philippines at the time on a church mission trip, even though she signed that she was present for the collection of signatures on the petition. After becoming aware of her warrant Bosworth turned herself in and was released under her own recognizance shortly after.
Bosworth was charged not even 24 hours after the election ended. She has since declared that she is a victim of the “war” on conservative women with aspirations to hold public office. She was quoted as saying “If you are a female and Republican, anything goes.” Bosworth has viciously argued that she is innocent of these charges. In a statement she proclaimed “There was no criminal intent to deceive, nor was there any reason to.” None the less all, of her charges are categorized as class 6 felonies carrying 2 year prison sentences and $4,000 fines.
Meanwhile, Clayton Walker never gathered the necessary signatures and was never on the ballot. He has been arrested on nine charges relating to petition fraud. Prosecutors have accused that a large percentage of the 3,374 he submitted belonged to fake people at fake addresses. At this time he has not made a public statement.
Republican Annette Bosworth (Elisha Page, Argus Leader via AP)
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