Three instances of double voting have been discovered in Polk County, Iowa:

Three people have tried to vote multiple times in the general election this month in Polk County, according to Des Moines police reports.

The Polk County Auditor’s Office reported the cases to police Wednesday, according to the reports.

It’s the first time in 12 years that Polk County Auditor Jamie Fitzgerald can remember ever having to report potential voter fraud, he said. The case has been turned over to police for investigation. It’s unclear whether criminal charges will be filed.

According to police reports, two of the incidents involved people casting mail-in ballots and also voting in person at one of the county’s early voting locations.

Another incident involved a person casting a ballot at the county election office, 120 Second Ave., and another ballot at a satellite voting location in Des Moines.

Good election procedures and the vigilance of election officials are essential to catch such instances of vote fraud and ensure that only eligible voters vote and that they only vote once.