A former Democratic candidate for the Clay County Commission has pleaded guilty to voter fraud.

Terry Andrew Heflin, 46, was arrested last year on seven counts of unlawful use of absentee ballots.

The indictment said Heflin falsified absentee ballot applications for multiple people and then used those people’s names to vote for himself by absentee ballot.

The crimes took place in the March 2024 primaries.

Court records show Heflin pleaded guilty to one of the seven charges against him. The rest were dismissed under the plea agreement.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said Heflin admitted to unlawfully requesting and completing another citizen’s absentee ballot, voting for himself without the voter’s knowledge or consent.

He directed the ballot to be mailed to his own post office box and submitted the fraudulent vote during his campaign for public office.

Heflin was sentenced to one year and one day in prison, split to serve 15 days in jail, and was ordered to pay a $2,500 fine.

“Voter fraud is a direct attack on our democratic process, and it will not be ignored or excused in Alabama,” Marshall said. “When someone cheats the system to steal a vote, they are stealing the voice of their fellow citizens.

“This conviction sends a clear and unmistakable message: if you undermine our elections by committing voter fraud, you will be caught, and you will be prosecuted,” he said.

Court records show Heflin pleaded guilty in 2021 to possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. He was sentenced to five years in prison, with two years to serve.