From the Nashville Post:

Shirley Ward, president of the Tennessee Federation of Republican Women, has turned herself in to authorities and has been arrested on charges of voter fraud by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, according to department spokesperson Jennifer Johnson.

Ward, a Tipton County resident, has been charged with knowingly voting in the wrong district for a Tipton County Commission race. While Johnson could not say which County Commission seat was affected, she said the winner of the race had won by one vote.

A call to the Tipton County Election Commission confirmed that the August 3 election for Tipton County Commission race, District 2, between John Arnold McIntyre Jr. and Billy Dan Huggins was decided by one vote. McIntyre was the victor in the non-partisan race.

Ward was elected president of the Tennessee Federation of Republican Women in 2005 and has a long history in Republican politics. According to her biography on the organization’s website, she has served as deputy chairman of “W Stands for Women,” county chairman for Senator Bill Frist and Van Hilleary and co-chairman for the Bush/Cheney campaigns of 2000 and 2004. She has also served as the financial director for TeamGOP.org, an organization that is run by her son, Jeff Ward.

She has also been named “Woman of the Year” by the Tipton County Republican Women’s club and serves on the statewide “Tennessee GOP Development Council in 2005.”

It’s impressive to see just how far someone will go to win a non-partisan race. Baroo?

UPDATE: Freddie says, “And, of course, Ms. Ward is the mother of Jeff Ward, the figure behind the somewhat notorious TeamGOP. I’m sure Mr. Ward will now be extra sensitive to challenges that Ford’s family legacy damage his candidacy.”

This post was written by Mary Mancini