Another resident of The Villages in Florida has been accused of voter fraud in the 2020 election

Taiyler Simone Mitchell
Updated ·2 min read
3

  • A fourth resident of The Villages has been accused of casting multiple ballots in the 2020 election.

  • The Villages is a well-known senior retirement community in Florida known for its residents' vocal support of Trump.

  • Charles Franklin Barnes, arrested Tuesday, is facing charges for allegedly voting twice.

A retiree at The Villages, the senior retirement community in Florida known for its Trump-supporting resident, was arrested Tuesday and accused of casting multiple ballots during the 2020 election, according to Sumter County Sheriff's arrest records.

Charles Franklin Barnes, 64, faces a third-degree felony charge in connection with the alleged voter fraud, the records state.

Barnes was registered to vote in both Florida and Connecticut, his home state, WKMG reported. He was not registered to a political party, the outlet also reported.

Barnes was released on a $2,000 bail Tuesday night, according to the sheriff's records.

Barnes is the fourth resident of The Villages to be accused of voter fraud — Jay Ketcik, Joan Halstead, and John Rider are facing the same charge, Insider reported in December.

The Villages became nationally known for its residents' vocal support of Trump in 2016 and 2020.

Retirees there donated more than half a million dollars to his campaign, Insider previously reported.

The community, which spans over 5 zip codes and calls itself "Florida's Friendliest Hometown," also hosted pro-Trump events.

Trump retweeted — and then deleted — a video of which showed an elderly man from The Villages shouting "white power" as he drove a golf cart during a rally in June 2020, CNN reported.

"I was thinking about moving to The Villages," Trump said during a visit to the community in 2019. "But I just couldn't leave Mar-a-Lago."

The Villages, Sumter County Sheriff's Department, Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida's Department of State, and Barnes did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Insider