As you may have heard, there’s a special election for Katie Hill’s former House of Representatives seat coming up on Tuesday (as in tomorrow) in North L.A. and eastern Ventura counties.
Last week, local Democrats complained that the City of Lancaster, where a high proportion of African American residents live, didn’t have an in-person vote center for the election. The local party and the campaign for Democratic candidate Christy Smith said this could disenfranchise voters of color.
On Friday, the county announced it would open a new polling place in Lancaster for the second weekend of early voting, and for Election Day, in addition to the 12 total planned for Los Angeles and Ventura parts of the district.
Now Republicans are crying foul: Party officials say the last-minute addition of a vote center is a dirty power play by Democrats hoping to hold on to the seat the party flipped in 2018.
“They are desperate and trying to change the rules to steal an election,” said GOP candidate Mike Garcia on Twitter.
And there was also this:
So in California, the Democrats, who fought like crazy to get all mail in only ballots, and succeeded, have just opened a voting booth in the most Democrat area in the State. They are trying to steal another election. It’s all rigged out there. These votes must not count. SCAM!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 9, 2020
L.A. County Registrar Dean Logan responded today on our local news show, Take Two, which airs on 89.3 KPCC.
Logan said Lancaster’s Republican Mayor, R. Rex Parris, and other community members asked for the new location, and that critics were engaging in “selective outrage.”
“We’re unapologetic about providing opportunities to vote,” he said, adding the new vote center had nothing to do with politics. “It’s serving all voters. Our process has no relevance for who the person is voting for, it’s about making sure they have that opportunity.”
The counties mailed every voter in the district a ballot, and most will either turn them in to a secure drop box or mail them back. For those who need to go to an in-person center — either for disability access, language help, same-day registration or any other reasons — Logan said spreading out voters over more locations will also be safer during the pandemic.
GO DEEPER:
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