The legal allegations
Michelle Ziolkowski, 54, a Mt. Lebanon resident and Truist Financial Corporation executive, faces misdemeanor charges of forgery and tampering with public records. WPXI reported that the case concerns a voter-registration application submitted in her late mother’s name. The reported allegation is about an application; the reporting cited here does not say that it led to a cast ballot. The charges are allegations, not a finding of guilt.
Pennsylvania’s forgery statute covers, among other conduct, making or completing a writing so that it appears to be another person’s act without that person’s authorization, when accompanied by the intent or knowledge specified in the law; forgery is generally a first-degree misdemeanor. The statute is available from the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Ziolkowski is also charged under the state provision on tampering with public records or information, listed in the Pennsylvania crimes code.
What investigators reportedly said
According to WPXI’s report, investigators said the application was mailed to the Allegheny County Elections Division in late September in the name of Fern Winans, Ziolkowski’s mother. A police report said Winans died in September 2021 and that her voter registration was canceled the next month after election workers were notified of her death. Investigators said the application sought to register Winans as a Democrat at Ziolkowski’s address; Winans and Ziolkowski were both registered Republicans, according to state voting records cited by WPXI.
WPXI reported that Ziolkowski initially told investigators she had received and discarded unsolicited registration forms addressed to Winans, but later acknowledged filling out and submitting them. According to the station’s account of the police report, she said she sent the application to find out whether voter fraud was possible.
Investigators reportedly said the signature on the application resembled Ziolkowski’s handwriting. WPXI also reported that her professional biographies identify her as Truist’s senior vice president and head of payables; the company did not respond to the station’s request for comment.
How Pennsylvania handles registration applications
The Pennsylvania Department of State says county election offices review mailed voter-registration applications. The department also says county boards maintain voter-registration records through the SURE system and conduct list maintenance under state and federal procedures. These general processes do not establish how Winans’ application was handled.
