Apartment manager accused of voter fraud, using ballots of ex-renters in Pasco

A 52-year-old Pasco resident is accused of fraudulently voting in the 2024 election.

Esperanza Contreras, an apartment building manager, was booked into the Franklin County jail Thursday afternoon on suspicion of 12 total counts including first-degree identity theft, forgery and second-degree theft.

Sheriff’s detectives began looking into the case in October after a report of an irregular ballot was counted in Franklin County during the 2024 general election.

The voter had moved from Pasco to Hermiston, and properly registered in her new state. But Franklin County had also sent a ballot to her former address.

She then learned the Washington ballot had been filled out and counted in the election. As detectives investigated, they discovered three other suspicious ballots that had been sent to former tenants of the same apartments.

It’s believed Contreras collected the ballots meant for the former tenants and was supposed to return the mail. Instead, she filled them out and mailed them back to the Franklin County Auditor’s Office.

The office’s signature checking caught one of the ballots, but missed the other three.

None of the Franklin County election results were decided by four votes in the 2024 general election.

Contreras allegedly admitted to voting on all four ballots and forging the signatures. She told detectives she believed she was helping the former tenants.

“Voter fraud undermines the integrity of the electoral process and erodes public confidence in the fairness of elections,” Sheriff Jim Raymond said in the release. “The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office takes violations of election law seriously and remains committed to thoroughly investigating and pursuing election related violations.”

Anyone with information related to the case can call Detective Andrew Gardner at 509-545-3501 and reference case number 25-15088.