By Victoria Lembesis
SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office Wednesday announced that it will team with the Dept. of Elections to combat election fraud during the upcoming election.
DA Chesa Boudin revealed he has been working closely with Department of Elections Director John Arntz to set up a multi-lingual Election Fraud Hotline.
This current election cycle has a record number of voters choosing to cast their votes by mail due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Boudin said voters should not have to risk their vote not being counted just because they are deciding against voting in person.
San Francisco sent out mail-in ballots to all registered voters, to ensure that everyone had this option, no matter how they are choosing to vote.
With a Multi-Lingual Election Fraud Hotline in place, members of the community will be able to report any type of election fraud or interference they witness. It will also make it possible for investigators to follow up on these complaints received by both offices. This hotline can be reached at (628) 652-4368.
District Attorney Boudin explained, “Free and impartial elections are the backbone of our country’s democracy; I am committed to ensuring that voters in San Francisco can exercise this 
fundamental right without interference. Director Arntz and I are seeking the public’s help to report wrongdoing and to ensure that no one undermines our democratic process.”
Elections Department Director Arntz noted, “It is critical that those who witness or experience election tampering or fraud know how to report it. We are pleased that this partnership provides a way to investigate and follow up on allegations of fraud so that we can preserve the integrity of our elections.”
The California Secretary of State released the most common California Election Code Violations to be on the lookout for :
Election Day and Voting Violations
- Using or threatening to use any force, violence, or tactic of coercion or intimidation to compel another to vote or refrain from voting in general, or for or against any particular person or measure [EC §18540]
- Electioneering within 100 feet of a polling place on Election Day [EC §18370]
- Electioneering in the presence of a voter during vote-by-mail voting [EC §18371]
- Receiving money, a gift, loan or any other valuable consideration for voting [EC §18521]
- Fraudulently voting or attempting to vote in an election in which one is not entitled [EC §18560(a)]
Petition Initiative and Circulator Violations
- As a petition circulator, intentionally misrepresenting the contents, purport or effect of that petition to a prospective signer [EC §18600]
- Obscuring the Attorney General’s summary of the measure from a prospective signer [EC §18602]
- Exchanging money or valuable consideration for petition signatures [EC §18603]
- Circulating a petition, knowing it contains false, forged or fictitious names [EC §18611]
- Signing a petition more than once or signing knowing that you are not qualified to sign it [EC §18612]
- Subscribing fictitious names or the name of another to a petition [EC §18613]
- Threatening a petition circulator with assault or battery or inflicting damage on a circulator’s property or that of the circulator’s relative [EC §18630]
- Making a false affidavit concerning a petition or the petition signatures [EC §18660]
Voter Registration Violations
- Registering yourself or another knowing that you or that person is not entitled to register [EC §18100(a)]
- Registering a non-existent person (including the deceased, animals, inanimate objects) [EC §18100(b)]
- Registering a fictitious person or someone not requesting registration [EC §18101]
- Negligence in promptly transferring a voter’s affidavit to an elections official [EC §18103]
- Altering the party affiliation of a voter’s affidavit [EC §18106]
- Misrepresenting on a voter registration card as having assisted another to register [EC §18108.1]
- Knowingly misusing voter registration information obtained from the county Registrar or Secretary of State or acquiring voter information without complying with Elections Code section 2188 [EC §18109]
Nomination and Election Campaign Violations
- Filing a false nomination or declaration of candidacy [EC §18203]
- Using the seal of a county or local government agency in campaign literature with intent to deceive voters [EC §18304]
- Voting or attempting to vote more than once in an election [EC §18560(b)]
- Fraudulently applying for, voting or attempting to vote an absentee ballot [EC §18578] .
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