MORRISVILLE - Morrisville Town Council member Linda Lyons has been accused of trying to vote twice, Wake County elections officials say.

Lyons, who is running for re-election, completed and filed a ballot as part of early voting on Oct. 24, said Gary Sims, deputy director of the Wake County Board of Elections.

When Lyons showed up at her precinct to vote today, a poll worker checked her name against the list and discovered that Lyons had already voted, Sims said. Lyons told the poll worker that she had forgotten she had already voted, Sims said.

"I forgot I had voted earlier," Lyons said in an interview. "Do you know how much I have going on? I've been campaigning, taking care of my father and I'm a single parent. I forgot."

The elections board met today and heard the matter, but did not take any action, Sims said.

Lyons is already under investigation by the state for allegations of election law violations. Lyons is accused of signing the witness forms on five absentee ballots certifying the identity of the voter.

It is illegal for a candidate to serve as a witness, and the elections board denied the ballots.

Lyons is running against Michael Schlink for the District 1 seat on the Morrisville Town Council.

The Wake County District Attorney's office has referred the matter to the State Bureau of Investigation.