In criminal court on Monday, a Lebanon man admitted to committing voter registration fraud, according to WSMV 4 Nashville.
Citing information by District Attorney General Jason Lawson, the outlet reported that Nicholas Greiner pleaded guilty to the class D felony of voter fraud under a process known as “criminal information,” and was sentenced to two years of supervised probation, subject to judicial diversion.
Criminal information resembles an indictment, except that no grand jury is called to hear the charge, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Greiner (pictured above) moved to a different part of Wilson County in May 2022 but never updated his driver’s license or reported the move. Rather than voting in his new voting district in August 2022, he voted in his old voting district. At the time he voted, he was asked if his old address was his current address, to which he provided a false statement by claiming his old address was his current one, according to WSMV.
When faced with evidence of the crime by an investigator, Greiner lawyered up before agreeing to waive the grand jury review process and be formally charged by a criminal information document.
Greiner was approved for judicial diversion as a first-time offender and will not lose his voting rights in future elections. As long as he performs well on probation and completes the program, Greiner’s right to vote will not be suspended, WSMV noted.
Tennesseans who move within their county must change their address using the Tennessee Secretary of State’s Office’s online voter registration system or by submitting, in writing, the address change within the county to their local county election commission office. According to the secretary of state’s office, the request must be signed and received no later than five (5) days before the election to process the change.
For those who have not updated their address by the time the voting period has begun, the secretary of state’s office still encourages Tennesseans to vote during the early voting period, as early voting locations will assist in address updates.
Tennesseans who have not updated their address by Election Day are still eligible to vote; however, they must complete an affidavit before being allowed to vote at their new polling location or a central location designated by the county election commission office, according to the secretary of state’s office.
For more information on voting in Tennessee, visit https://sos.tn.gov/elections.
– – –
Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
