SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah’s lieutenant governor says voter fraud is rare in the state and usually the result of a misunderstanding of election laws.

The Salt Lake Tribune reported Thursday that Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox says fraud cases typically involve parents submitting ballots for children who are away from home serving missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Completing another person’s voting form is a misdemeanor crime punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine.

Officials say the state’s embrace of voting by mail has increased the ease through which parents can obtain and fill out a child’s ballot.

Parents may be concerned the postal system will not deliver a ballot in time from overseas. But officials say electronic voting is now available to young missionaries.