Former county supervisor candidate sentenced for filing false candidacy declaration
Prosecutors say Morrow knowingly misled voters to get on ballot
– San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow announced today that Michelle Marie Morrow, 56, of Grover Beach, has been sentenced to 90 days in county jail with two years of felony probation for election-related crimes.
On Sept. 11, 2024, the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office filed charges against Morrow for voter registration fraud, filing a false declaration of candidacy, fraudulent voting, and perjury by declaration. These crimes were committed during the March 5, 2024, primary election cycle.
On November 18, 2024, Morrow pleaded no contest to filing false nomination papers and fraudulent voting, both felonies, with an agreement that she would initially be sentenced to no more than 180 days in jail. The court found Morrow guilty of the two felonies based on her plea of no contest.
In a pre-sentence report, the San Luis Obispo County Probation Department recommended a sentence of 180 days in jail given Morrow’s “lack of remorse and lack of insight into her criminality.”
Deputy District Attorney Ben Blumenthal did not argue for a specific amount of jail but instead submitted on the Probation Department’s 180-day recommendation, noting, “I want to make crystal clear, Ms. Morrow was not prosecuted because of her political beliefs, or her platform. Ms. Morrow was prosecuted because she deliberately and repeatedly lied to the voters of San Luis Obispo County in an unlawful attempt to get elected to a position she knew she was not legally qualified to hold.”
The court ultimately sentenced Morrow to 90 days in jail with two years of felony probation, focusing on Morrow’s lack of criminal history and other factors unique to her situation.
The case was investigated and prosecuted by the Public Integrity Unit of the District Attorney’s Office. This unit was founded in 2015, with a mission to hold elected officials, public employees, and candidates for office accountable to the rules and laws that govern them.
