Man Used By GOP To Push Unfounded Voter Fraud Claims Pleads Guilty To Casting Ballot Under Late Wife's Name

By Michael Lyle, Nevada Current

November 16, 2021

Donald Kirk Hartle, a Clark County man Republicans showcased in attempts to spread misinformation and unfounded claims about massive voter fraud, pled guilty Tuesday to voting more than once during the same election.

“Though rare, voter fraud can undercut trust in our election system,” Attorney General Aaron Ford said in a statement Tuesday. “This particular case of voter fraud was particularly egregious because the offender continually spread inaccurate information about our elections despite being the source of fraud himself. I am glad to see Mr. Hartle being held accountable for his actions, and I want to stress that our office will pursue any credible allegations of voter fraud.

The Nevada Republican Party had promoted Kirk’s story that his wife Rosemarie, who died in 2017, had cast a ballot in the 2020 election.

They used his story to show “irregularities” to support allegations of widespread voter fraud Republicans were making without evidence.

“The media needs to understand we are finding concrete cases of voter irregularities that they must expose,” the Nevada GOP wrote on Twitter in November 2020.

Plot twist: It was Hartle who voted under his late wife’s name.

Hartle, who is expected to appear in court Wednesday, is required to pay a $2,000 fine and will serve a one-year term of informal probation. He could potentially have his felony charge reduced to a gross misdemeanor if he stays out of trouble during that time.

The Nevada Republican Party has not commented on the guilty plea.

Republicans ranging from former President Donald Trump, who lost in Nevada as well as the presidential election, to the Nevada Republicans, who gained numerous legislative seats in the same cycle, have pushed unfounded claims of voter fraud.

Nevada Senate candidate Adam Laxalt and the Trump campaign filed a lawsuit in November 2020 alleging “many irregularities.”

Later, he filed another suit against the Nevada Secretary of State claiming, again without evidence, that “noncitizens may have voted.” The suit was later dropped in March.

Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske, a Republican, reviewed allegations and announced in April there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud.

In a statement Tuesday on Hartle’s guilty plea, she said she was, “pleased that the truth was uncovered.”

“I’d like to thank the criminal investigators within our Securities Division for pursuing the evidence and investigating this case,” she said.

Nevada Current, a nonprofit, online source of political news and commentary, documents the policies, institutions and systems that affect Nevadans’ daily lives. The Current is part of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers.