A year ago this week, Hudson resident Grace Gato was spending her days caring for her terminally ill mother while trying to balance family, work and personal pursuits.

One of her mother’s final requests, Gato said recently, was to get an absentee ballot “so she could vote one last time.” But she died before she was able to cast the ballot, triggering a series of events that led to Gato being charged with one count of wrongful voting, a Class A misdemeanor offense.

According to Attorney General John Formella and Election Law Unit chief Brendan O’Donnell, the complaint accuses Gato of submitting an absentee ballot application for the Nov. 5, 2024, state election “using the name of her recently deceased mother,” and that Gato “separately applied for, and cast," an absentee ballot in her own

See Full Page