Three Monroe County women were indicted on multiple ballot-related charges connected to alleged irregularities in the August 26, 2025, Frisco City municipal election.
Indictments and defendants
The defendants were identified as Sarah Bennett, 60; Sharon Denson, 67; and Samantha Kyles, 46.
The charges announced by Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall include 17 counts of ballot harvesting and 20 counts of unlawful use of absentee ballots.
Allegations
The indictment alleges the defendants falsified absentee ballot applications or verification documents and harvested ballots belonging to multiple individuals.
Bennett faces 18 counts, including nine counts related to unlawful use of absentee ballots or changing ballots and nine counts of submitting absentee ballot applications on behalf of another person.
Denson faces 12 counts, including six counts of unlawful use of absentee ballots and six counts of submitting false ballot applications.
Kyles faces seven counts, including four counts of unlawful use of absentee ballots and three counts of submitting false ballot applications.
Scope and penalties
The women are accused of involvement with ballots or applications connected to approximately 20 individuals in total.
Unlawful use of absentee ballots carries a penalty of one year and one day to 10 years in prison, and ballot harvesting is punishable by up to one year in jail.
Booking and response
Following their indictment, the women were booked into the Monroe County Jail.
Bond amounts were reported as $54,000 for Bennett, $36,000 for Denson, and $21,000 for Kyles.
Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen said he thanked law enforcement and Attorney General Steve Marshall’s staff for the investigation that produced the indictments and cited SB1.
Allen warned that crimes undermining elections attack the fabric of the republic and said anyone considering similar illegal activity should take these indictments as a clear warning.
Legal context and next steps
The charges stem from Alabama’s Senate Bill 1 (SB1), which criminalized unauthorized handling or collection of absentee ballot applications, and this case represents one of the early applications of that law.
The indictments relate specifically to the Frisco City election and do not allege broader problems in that contest or elsewhere.
No additional details about investigative methods or how discrepancies were identified have been released publicly because the prosecution is ongoing.
All three cases are proceeding in Monroe County Circuit Court.
