Accused of rigging an election that he won by one vote, Compton City Councilman Isaac Galvan was recently arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit election fraud and attempted bribery. Five other members of the alleged conspiracy have also been charged with rigging the election.
Serving as a Compton city councilmember since 2013, Isaac Galvan allegedly conspired with Jace Dawson, a former candidate who lost in an April primary for Galvan’s council seat. According to the indictment, Dawson conspired with Galvan to commit voter fraud in exchange for a job as a city liaison, which Dawson later voted to approve by a 3-1 City Council vote.
During a June runoff election against Andre Spicer, Galvan retained his position and defeated Spicer by a vote of 855 to 854. On election night, Galvan allegedly attempted to fraudulently influence the results of the election by trying to bribe an employee of the registrar’s office with concert tickets.
According to Spicer, Kimberly Chaouch, a former volunteer for Dawson’s campaign, contacted his staff to confess that she had committed voter fraud. Galvan’s campaign reportedly promised to pay her, but Chaouch decided to speak out after they failed to deliver.
During the primary election, Chaouch, Barry Reed, and Reginald Streeter all registered to vote at Dawson’s Compton address and then cast ballots for him in the race, according to the criminal complaint. Chaouch, Streeter, and Toni Morris allegedly cast ballots for Galvan in the June runoff, despite not living in Compton.
On Friday, Galvan was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit election fraud and attempted bribery with intent to influence an election. Dawson, Chaouch, Morris, Reed, and Streeter were charged with conspiracy to commit election fraud.
“Elections are the cornerstone of our democratic nation. We must do everything in our power to protect the integrity of the electorate process and to ensure that elections are free and fair,” Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón stated in a press release. “The people of Los Angeles County expect and deserve a government that is free of political corruption at every level.”
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