District Attorney Investigating 63 Federally Identified Registrations and Local Election Referrals; Warns That Unlawful Voting Will Be Prosecuted

Author: District Attorney
Date: 10/29/2026 12:58 PM

District Attorney Dan Dow encourages every eligible voter to cast a ballot in the November 3, 2026, General Election, and warns that anyone who votes unlawfully will be investigated and prosecuted.

District Attorney Dan Dow announced today that the District Attorney's Bureau of Investigation is actively investigating two sets of election-related matters: a list of 63 suspected non-citizens registered to vote in San Luis Obispo County, provided by federal authorities, and separate referrals from the San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder about possible unlawful voting in the current election. The District Attorney's Office takes every election-related referral seriously and is working with its federal partners to determine whether any non-citizen has voted in San Luis Obispo County elections, either in past elections or in the current one.

"Every eligible voter in San Luis Obispo County should vote, and every lawful vote deserves to be protected," said District Attorney Dan Dow. "Voting is a right reserved for those who are legally eligible. If you are not a United States citizen or are not eligible to vote for any other reason, do not cast a ballot. If anyone who is not lawfully registered votes in San Luis Obispo County, my office will investigate and pursue criminal charges. We will pursue unlawful voting aggressively and fairly, following the evidence wherever it leads, without regard to anyone's politics or status in the community."

"Election integrity is a nonpartisan issue," Dow added. "It is fundamental to the very principles our Founders stood for when they established our nation. If we cannot trust that our elections are honest and that only eligible voters are voting, then we cannot trust the outcome of those elections. I am committed to doing everything within my power to ensure that San Luis Obispo County elections are as secure as possible under the law. We will fully investigate all credible referrals."

On October 22, 2026, Bilal A. Essayli, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California, sent a letter to Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano. The letter included a list of 63 people registered to vote in San Luis Obispo County whom the U.S. Department of Homeland Security identified as likely non-citizens. Federal officials asked that the vote-by-mail ballots of those individuals be set aside, and not processed, until their citizenship can be confirmed. The letter states that the request is to segregate those ballots, not to cancel any registration. Mr. Essayli also provided the list of 63 suspected non-citizen registrants to the District Attorney's Office.

The District Attorney's Office is investigating the 63 federally identified suspect registrations at the same time as the Clerk-Recorder's voter case referrals, and is coordinating with other agencies where necessary to establish the facts in each case.

Being named on a list is not proof of a crime. Every person is presumed innocent, and any decision to file criminal charges will be based on evidence that is independently gathered and reviewed by this office.

Under California law, it is a crime for a person who is not entitled to vote to fraudulently vote or attempt to vote (Elections Code section 18560). Federal law also prohibits non-citizens from voting in any election that includes federal offices (18 U.S.C. section 611). A non-citizen who votes unlawfully may also face serious immigration consequences, including removal from the United States (8 U.S.C. section 1227(a)(6)).

The District Attorney's Public Integrity Unit has prosecuted, and continues to prosecute, election crimes in San Luis Obispo County. Recent cases include:

• Michelle Marie Morrow of Grover Beach, a 2024 candidate for the District 3 seat on the Board of Supervisors, pleaded no contest to two felonies: filing false nomination papers and fraudulent voting. In April 2025 she was sentenced to 90 days in county jail and two years of felony probation.
• Gaea Edde Powell, a two-time Arroyo Grande mayoral candidate, was convicted by a jury in September 2026 of election-fraud crimes from the 2022 and 2024 election cycles, including voter registration fraud, perjury, filing false nomination papers, and fraudulent voting. Sentencing is set for November 4, 2026.
• Paula Ott was charged on July 27, 2026, with one misdemeanor count of impersonating or attempting to impersonate a voter (Elections Code section 18560(c)), alleged to have occurred on or about May 19, 2026, during the June 2, 2026, Statewide Primary Election. The case is pending in Department 6 of the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court, with a pretrial hearing set for November 30, 2026. Ms. Ott is represented by counsel and is presumed innocent. A criminal complaint contains charges that must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

What eligible voters should know: To vote in California, you must be a United States citizen and a resident of California, 18 years old or older on Election Day, not currently serving a state or federal prison term for the conviction of a felony, and not currently found mentally incompetent to vote by a court. You may vote only once, and only at the address where you live. Full eligibility information is available from the California Secretary of State at sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration.

Reporting suspected election crimes: Anyone with information about possible election fraud may contact the California Secretary of State's Election Fraud Investigation Unit at (916) 657-2166 or visit our website and complete the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office Public Integrity Complaint Form.

Because these referrals are under active investigation, the District Attorney's Office will not comment on the identity of any person under investigation or the specific facts of any referral.

The Public Integrity 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, and to protect the integrity of our elections.

Media contact: Assistant District Attorney Eric J. Dobroth, (805) 781-5819.

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