A felony charge against Utah Transit Authority spokesman Bill Barnes has been reduced to a class A misdemeanor.
Barnes, 43, was originally charged with a felony for voting twice in the 1996 Republican primary election. Under the agreement approved by 3rd District Judge Michael Hutchings, Barnes now faces a class A misdemeanor.If he stays out of trouble for the next six months, the charge will be dismissed altogether.
Barnes voted twice on June 25, 1996 - first at the precinct address on his voter-registration card, which he later realized was outdated because he had moved. He cast his ballot again at a different location after contacting the Salt Lake County Clerk's Office.
The office told him to vote again because his first vote would be nullified, Barnes said. However, his original vote was not nullified.
Prosecutor Howard Lemcke said he agreed to the arrangement because Barnes did not intend to perpetrate voter fraud.