District attorney investigating 63 voter registrations flagged by federal officials
San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow.
District attorney warns unlawful voting will be prosecuted
– The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office is investigating 63 voter registrations that federal authorities identified as belonging to likely non-citizens, along with separate local referrals about possible unlawful voting in the current election, according to the office.
District Attorney Dan Dow urged every eligible voter to cast a ballot in the Tuesday, Nov. 3, General Election and said anyone who votes unlawfully will be investigated and prosecuted.
“Every eligible voter in San Luis Obispo County should vote, and every lawful vote deserves to be protected,” said Dow.
The list of 63 came in an Oct. 22 letter from Bilal A. Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, to county Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano. The letter said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security identified the 63 registered voters as likely non-citizens and asked that their vote-by-mail ballots be set aside and not processed until citizenship is confirmed. It did not ask that any registrations be canceled. Essayli also gave the list to the District Attorney’s Office.
Separately, Cano referred cases of possible unlawful voting in the current election. The office’s Bureau of Investigation is working on both and is working with federal partners to determine whether any non-citizen has voted in county elections, past or current.
The office said appearing on a list is not proof of a crime, that everyone is presumed innocent, and that any charging decision will rest on independently gathered evidence. Because the referrals are under active investigation, the office will not comment on who is under investigation or the specifics of any referral.
Under the California Elections Code, it is a crime for an ineligible person to fraudulently vote or attempt to vote. Federal law also prohibits non-citizens from voting in elections that include federal offices, and non-citizens who vote unlawfully may face immigration consequences, including removal, the office said.
The office pointed to recent election cases handled by its Public Integrity Unit. A jury in September convicted Arroyo Grande mayoral candidate Gaea Edde Powell of election-fraud crimes from the 2022 and 2024 cycles, and she is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 4. Michelle Marie Morrow of Grover Beach, a 2024 candidate for the District 3 Board of Supervisors seat, was sentenced in April 2025 to 90 days in county jail and two years of felony probation after pleading no contest to filing false nomination papers and fraudulent voting.
Paula Ott was charged July 27 with one misdemeanor count of impersonating or attempting to impersonate a voter during the June 2 statewide primary. Her case is pending, with a pretrial hearing set for Nov. 30. She is presumed innocent.
To report suspected election fraud, the office directs residents to its Public Integrity Unit complaint form. Voter eligibility requirements are available from the California Secretary of State.
For the full press release, visit www.slocounty.ca.gov/departments/district-attorney.
