Inglewood voter fraud alleged

The Los Angeles County district attorney has launched an investigation into “allegations of impropriety” in the upcoming election in Inglewood, a spokeswoman said Thursday.

The inquiry by the office’s Bureau of Investigation began within the last month, said district attorney spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons, who said she could not elaborate on the probe.

But Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), in a letter to U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric Holder dated April 1, mentions “allegations of voter fraud in Inglewood” and said her understanding was that someone had requested absentee ballots in the names of other people without their knowledge or consent.

“I just learned from the Mayor of Inglewood, the Honorable Roosevelt Dorn, of a particular situation that seems to clearly constitute voter fraud and therefore now seek your immediate assistance,” Waters wrote in calling for a federal probe.

In the letter attached to a news release from her office, Waters stated that Dorn told her that he had received two packages from the post office, the first containing 176 absentee ballot requests and the second with four such requests. The ballots were not signed and none had postage stamps. Dorn said he made copies of the ballots and called and visited the voters listed only to learn that they had not requested absentee ballots, Waters wrote.

“It appears that the Mayor has uncovered a scheme where certain individuals request absentee ballots through the unauthorized use of voter names. The absentee ballot requests are mailed out as if they will be used by the named voters but are instead held by certain individuals until election night when the absentee ballots are then cast by unauthorized individuals,” Waters wrote.

The Inglewood city election is Tuesday, when candidates will be vying for two council seats as well as three positions on the school board.

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