‘It’s sad, but I’m glad that our county attorney is upholding the integrity of the process,’ says Hall County Election Commissioner Tracy Overstreet
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LINCOLN — A notary public, Jacy C. Todd, has been charged with 24 counts of “official misconduct” as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged fraud concerning two Nebraska medical cannabis petitions.
Announced by Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers and Hall County Attorney Marty Klein, the charges stem from Todd's alleged illegal notarization of petitions in Grand Island without the presence of at least one petition circulator.
Todd, 53, who co-owns Herban Pulse, a CBD shop in Grand Island, is accused of knowingly violating the law between January 29 and July 2, with each count classified as a Class II misdemeanor, carrying a potential penalty of up to six months in jail or a $1,000 fine.
In a statement, Hilgers emphasized the importance of election integrity and the critical role notaries play in the electoral process. He noted that the investigation revealed significant misuse of the notary process, with false representations regarding the proper notarization of petitions.
The group behind the medical cannabis petition drive, Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana (NMM), expressed confidence in having met all legal requirements for placing the issue on the ballot.
Additionally, Michael K. Egbert, a paid petition circulator, was charged earlier with a felony for allegedly collecting at least 200 fraudulent signatures in Hall County. Egbert is accused of submitting pages of signatures that included names taken from a phone book, incorrect birth dates, and names of deceased individuals.
Todd notarized many of the pages associated with Egbert's activities. The Hall County Election Commissioner, Tracy Overstreet, assured voters that her office is committed to election integrity, noting that questionable signatures were flagged and not counted.
While Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen certified the cannabis petitions based on nearly 90,000 valid signatures, he acknowledged the ongoing investigation could potentially invalidate some of them. Evnen and Hilgers are seeking a court declaration regarding the validity of the signatures.
Overstreet mentioned that the charges against Todd could affect 275 signatures from the legalization petition and 271 from the regulatory petition, stating her dismay at the possibility of disenfranchising genuine voters due to fraudulent activities.
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