A city councilman in California has been removed from office after a judge ruled some of the votes cast for him were illegal.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Compton Councilman Isaac Galvan was initially determined to have beaten challenger Andre Spicer in a June 2021 runoff election by a count of 855 to 854.
However, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office charged Galvan with election rigging and bribery in August 2021.
On Friday, Superior Court Judge Michelle Williams Court ruled four of the ballots cast for Galvan were from people who lived in other districts. With those four ballots ruled out, Spicer defeated Galvan 854 to 851, Court ruled.
In the lawsuit against Galvan, prosecutors alleged he developed a plan with primary opponent Jace Dawson to garner more votes for Galvan in the runoff election.
Kimberly Chaouch, Toni Sanae Morris, Reginald Orlando Streeter and Jordan Farr Jefferson all voted in the runoff despite not living in Compton, Court wrote in her 10-page ruling, according to the Times.
Each of them used Dawson’s address when registering to vote in the runoff.