Video has emerged of a Louisiana mayor urging voters at a private event to vote twice, promising that they wouldn't be prosecuted for the crimes.
"If you early voted, go again tomorrow. One more time's not going to hurt," said Democrat Mayor Don Cravins Sr. of Opelousas, Louisiana on Nov. 3 before a crowd at the Charcoal Lounge, just 24 hours prior to Election Day.
His son, Don Cravins Jr., happens to be Sen. Mary Landrieu's (D-La.) chief of staff in Washington, D.C.
While Louisiana voters do have the option to vote early, voting both early and on Election Day is against the law.
If voters were worried about facing fraud charges for voting twice, Cravins reassured that there was nothing to worry about because the reelection of his Democratic district attorney friend would act as an insurance policy of sorts.
"Tomorrow we're gonna elect Earl Taylor as the D.A. so he won't prosecute you if you vote twice," Cravins said in the undercover video obtained and released by a group of black conservatives.
Taylor went on to win his forth term the next day.
The video was released by Sen. Elbert Guillory (R-La.) through the Black Conservatives Fund. Guillory and a few other black politicians left the Democratic Party in 2013 for the Republican Party.
Cravins responded to allegations of encouraging voter fraud by saying his statements were a joke.
"Anyone who can't figure out that's a joke has got to be kidding," he said, pointing to the loud laughter following his comments as evidence, according to The Daily Advertiser. "I just urge you to consider the source."
Taylor, the district attorney, agreed, telling The Advertiser, "I heard about this and thought it was a joke. You can't vote twice. There is no way to do that."
"It was a mistake in judgment [by Cravins to make a joke of such a serious matter], but there was no way you could take this seriously," Taylor added.
St. Landry Clerk of Courts Charles Jagneaux also agreed with Taylor, saying that voting early and then again on Election Day would be impossible, because the names of all early voters are recorded and supplied to each polling place in the parish, according to The Advertiser.
