Registrars of voters in Southern California are defending the vote count in a tight congressional race after incumbent Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, questioned its validity. Issa is ahead of challenger Doug Applegate by two percentage points with about 20,000 more provisional ballots to be counted. In a fundraising email, Issa claimed liberals are trying to steal the election and that if his lead shrinks, they could “force the Registrars to allow thousands of illegal, unregistered voters to influence the election,” according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. In a post on Twitter, the Republican congressman asked followers, “Can you help me make sure this election isn’t stolen?” It included a link to a letter on his campaign website, but the tweet and letter have since been deleted.
San Diego County Registrar Michael Vu denied that he could be coerced into adding unregistered voters’ provisional ballots in the certified results. “We’ll be verifying every single provisional ballot that was cast and determine whether it was eligible to be counted,” Vu said.
Reached by phone, Orange County Registrar of Voters Neal Kelley echoed the sentiment. “If they’re not a registered voter, they’re not going to be counted. It doesn’t matter how close the contest is,” Kelley said.
The congressional district overlaps both counties.
Full Article: Southern California Election Officials Respond To Issa’s Allegation Of Vote Count Interference | KPBS.