The are 144 registered voters in Los Angeles for every 100 citizens of voting age, according to a report released by Judicial Watch on Aug. 4.
The discrepancy is widespread in California, with 11 other counties carrying rolls with more registered voters than actual citizens old enough to vote. The staggering discrepancy has prompted Judicial Watch to threaten to sue unless the state cleans up its voter registration data.
“California’s voting rolls are an absolute mess that undermines the very idea of clean elections,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said.
“It is urgent that California take reasonable steps to clean up its rolls. We will sue if state officials fail to act.”
States are mandated to maintain accurate voter rolls by the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) and the Help America Vote Act.
Judicial Watch sent notice-of-violation letters to all 11 counties on Aug. 1, threatening to sue in federal court unless the counties take appropriate actions.
The counties with discrepancies are as follows with the numbers representing registered voters for each 100 voting age citizens:
Imperial - 102
Lassen - 102
Los Angeles - 112*
Monterey - 104
San Diego - 138
San Francisco - 114
San Mateo - 111
Santa Cruz - 109
Solano - 111
Stanislaus - 102
Yolo - 110
* Los Angeles County officials told Judicial Watch that the number now stands at 144 registered voters for each 100 voting age citizens.
The Judicial Watch numbers are based on public records from the Election Assistance Commission’s 2016 Election Administration Voting Survey. Judicial Watch also received verbal accounts from various county agencies.
The NVRA requires states to remove names of voters who are not eligible to vote from voter rolls for a number of reasons, including when the registrant passes away or changes his or her address. The states are also required to make sure that non-citizens cannot register to vote.
There is “strong circumstantial evidence that California municipalities are not conducting reasonable voter registration list maintenance as mandated under the NVRA,” the notice-of-violation letter sent to California Secretary of State Alex Padilla stated.
In Ohio, Judicial Watch scored a victory in a similar case, with the state settling and agreeing to update its voter registration list and keep the list online for public access.
Judicial Watch sent similar letters to 11 states in April, threatening to sue because they carried rolls with more registered voters than actual citizens of voting age. The April letters went out to Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and Tennessee.
The organization also filed a lawsuit on July 18 against Montgomery County and the Maryland State Boards of Elections for violating the NVRA.
Judicial Watch is “a conservative, non-partisan educational foundation, promotes transparency, accountability and integrity in government, politics and the law,” according to the organization’s website.
From NTD.tv
