A city councilman in California has been removed from office after a judge ruled some of the votes cast for him were illegal.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Compton Councilman Isaac Galvan was initially determined to have beaten challenger Andre Spicer in a June 2021 runoff election by a count of 855 to 854.
However, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office charged Galvan with election rigging and bribery in August 2021.
On Friday, Superior Court Judge Michelle Williams Court ruled four of the ballots cast for Galvan were from people who lived in other districts. With those four ballots ruled out, Spicer defeated Galvan 854 to 851, Court ruled.
In the lawsuit against Galvan, prosecutors alleged he developed a plan with primary opponent Jace Dawson to garner more votes for Galvan in the runoff election.
Kimberly Chaouch, Toni Sanae Morris, Reginald Orlando Streeter and Jordan Farr Jefferson all voted in the runoff despite not living in Compton, Court wrote in her 10-page ruling, according to the Times.
Each of them used Dawson’s address when registering to vote in the runoff.
Chaouch, Morris, Streeter and Dawson were all charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit election fraud, along with another man named Barry Kirk Reed.
Chaouch admitted in a call on a recorded line six days after the June 2021 runoff that she had voted despite living in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles and not in Compton.
Should Democrats be concerned about election fraud?
She also said Dawson himself arranged for her to register with his address and vote for Galvan, the Times reported.
“There’s a couple more that are using his personal address as well,” Chaouch admitted, according to the judge. “Jace is the only person that lives there.”
Following her illegal registration, Chaouch said she was hired to be on Galvan’s campaign.
In her ruling, the judge said Chaouch was told by Dawson that “they were doing this to stop the long-standing corruption that would only continue if Andre Spicer were to be elected.”
Chaouch pleaded no contest to breaking election laws, while Dawson and Galvan each pleaded not guilty to charges relating to election fraud, the Times reported.
In a statement to KABC-TV, Spicer said he was elated at the news that the judge ruled in his favor.
“I am excited, thrilled, and relieved that Judge Michelle Williams ruled in my favor,” Spicer said.
“We have worked so hard and tirelessly to prove our case and represent for a community who needed it the most. Today is a new beginning for not only myself but 25,000 residents that have been pleading for change.”
Since the 2020 presidential election, many leftists have been quick to dismiss any allegations of election fraud as right-wing conspiracies. However, this case in California has proven election fraud is a real threat.
While this anecdotal case does not prove that any other election fraud occurred in the past, it highlights the critical importance of ensuring our elections are safe and secure.
Contrary to Democrat talking points, measures aimed at cracking down on election fraud are not meant to suppress legal votes. Instead, they will ensure legal votes are counted and illegal votes are identified and cast out in hopes of preventing cases like this one in the future.
