Three St. Clair Shores Residents Face Felony Charges for Alleged Double Voting in 2024 Michigan Primary
In St. Clair Shores, Michigan, three residents—Douglas Kempkens Jr., Stacey Kramer, and Frank Prezzato—are facing felony charges for allegedly voting twice in the August 2024 primary election.
Who Are the Accused?
- Douglas Kempkens Jr., 44: A resident of St. Clair Shores, charged with double voting.
- Stacey Kramer, 56: Also from St. Clair Shores, bound over for trial in October 2024 for the same charges.
- Frank Prezzato, 68: Another St. Clair Shores resident, facing charges with a preliminary examination scheduled for January 2025.
All three are accused of voting both absentee and in-person during the August 6, 2024, primary election in Michigan.
They each face two felony counts: Voting Absentee and In-Person (a five-year felony) and Offering to Vote More than Once (a four-year felony).
What Crimes Are They Allegedly Committing?
They allegedly cast absentee ballots and then went to their polling places on Election Day to vote again in person.
Michigan law prohibits voting more than once in an election, as it undermines the integrity of the democratic process.
According to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, the voters were informed at the polls that their absentee ballots had already been received.
Despite warnings in the Electronic Poll Book (a system that tracks voter activity), election workers, under instructions from assistant clerks, overrode the system to allow in-person voting. Both the absentee and in-person votes were counted, resulting in double votes.
Nessel’s office claims this was a deliberate violation, but local officials, including Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido and St. Clair Shores Mayor Kip Walby, argue it was likely a mistake rather than intentional fraud.
Some voters, like Geneva O’Day (whose charges were dismissed), claimed they were told their absentee ballots weren’t received, leading them to vote in person.
The exact motives of Kempkens, Kramer, and Prezzato are unclear. Nessel stated there’s no evidence they worked together as part of a coordinated scheme.
In some cases, voters signed affidavits claiming they hadn’t received or returned absentee ballots, which allowed them to vote in person.
However, these claims were false, as their absentee ballots had already been processed.
The override of system warnings by election workers facilitated the double voting, raising questions about training and oversight at polling stations.
What Election Was This?
The incident occurred during the August 6, 2024, Michigan primary election, where voters selected party nominees for local, state, and federal offices.
In St. Clair Shores, a city of about 57,500 people, over 13,000 votes were cast. The double votes did not affect the outcome of any races, according to Nessel.
Candidates on the Ballot
The August 2024 primary ballot in St. Clair Shores included candidates for various offices, such as:
- U.S. House of Representatives (Michigan’s 10th District): Republican incumbent John James faced primary challengers, while Democrats like Carl Marlinga competed for their party’s nomination.
- Macomb County Prosecutor: Peter Lucido, a Republican, ran for re-election.
- Local Offices: St. Clair Shores voters also chose nominees for city council, county commission, and other local roles.
- State Legislature: Candidates for Michigan House and Senate seats were on the ballot, varying by district.
Specific candidate lists for St. Clair Shores precincts are not fully detailed in public reports, but primary elections typically focus on party nominations rather than final winners.
How Were They Caught?
The double voting was detected shortly after the election by St. Clair Shores Clerk Abby Barrett.
Her team noticed discrepancies in the Qualified Voter File and paper records, which showed that the same voters had signed both absentee ballot applications and in-person voting forms.
Barrett reported the issue to Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini, the St. Clair Shores Police Department, and the Michigan Bureau of Elections.
The case was referred to the Attorney General’s office on August 15, 2024, prompting Nessel’s investigation. The investigation included reviewing voting records, police reports, and interviews with election officials, confirming the double votes.
Past Criminal History
There is no publicly available information indicating that Douglas Kempkens Jr., Stacey Kramer, or Frank Prezzato have prior criminal histories.
Geneva O’Day, another accused voter whose charges were dismissed, told Votebeat she had never been in trouble before, suggesting a clean record.
Without court or police records explicitly stating prior convictions, it’s assumed these individuals have no significant criminal past related to this case.
Additional Important Information
- Dismissed Cases: Charges against two other voters, Geneva O’Day, and two election workers, Patricia Guciardo and Emily McClintock, were dismissed in December 2024 and March 2025 by 40th District Court judges for lack of probable cause.
- Judge Mark Fratarcangeli, in dismissing O’Day’s and assistant clerk Molly Brasure’s cases, apologized to them, emphasizing the lack of criminal intent. The Attorney General’s office has appealed these dismissals.
- Legal Proceedings: Stacey Kramer was bound over for trial in October 2024, with a pretrial conference rescheduled for May 2025. Douglas Kempkens Jr. also faces a pretrial conference in May 2025. Frank Prezzato’s preliminary examination is set for January 2025 in the 40th District Court.
- Local vs. State Conflict: Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido initially declined to press charges in August 2024, calling the incidents “honest mistakes” and noting that election safeguards worked to catch the issue.
- Nessel, however, pursued charges after her own investigation, criticizing Lucido’s decision as insufficient.
- Impact on Election Workers: The charges have raised concerns about deterring election volunteers. Local clerks and defense attorneys worry that prosecuting workers for errors could discourage people from serving in future elections.
- Election Integrity: Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson emphasized that the state’s safeguards, like the Electronic Poll Book, are designed to prevent double voting.
- A 2022 audit found that 99.99% of Michigan ballots were not duplicates, highlighting the rarity of such incidents.
Why This Matters
The case underscores the importance of election integrity and the challenges of balancing accountability with human error.
While Nessel’s office insists on prosecuting to deter future violations, local officials argue that mistakes by voters and undertrained workers shouldn’t be criminalized.
The ongoing legal battles will likely shape how Michigan handles similar cases in the future, especially in a battleground state where election scrutiny is high.
Douglas Kempkens Jr., Stacey Kramer, and Frank Prezzato, all from St. Clair Shores, Michigan, face serious felony charges for allegedly double voting in the August 2024 primary election.
Caught through diligent record-keeping and reported by local election officials, their cases highlight the complexities of election processes and the consequences of errors or intentional acts.
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