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Write-in candidate for SLO County supervisor guilty of election fraud

November 22, 2024

Michelle Morrow

By KAREN VELIE

A Grover Beach woman pleaded no contest this week to felony charges related to her run as a write-in candidate for the San Luis Obispo County District 3 supervisor seat in the March 2024 Primary Election.

On Nov. 18,  55-year-old Michelle Marie Morrow pleaded no contest to filing false nomination or declaration papers and fraudulent voting.  As part of the plea deal, charges of voter registration fraud and perjury were dropped.

Morrow now faces a maximum sentence of six months in jail and two years probation. Her sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 6.

In late 2023, a group of people who were looking for someone to oppose SLO County Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg asked Morrow to run. However, Morrow lived in Oceano, outside the District 3 boundary.

Morrow and a supporter went to the SLO County Clerk-Recorder’s Office to ask questions about running as a write-in candidate if she moved to Grover Beach, as there was not enough time to have her name on the ballot. In mid-Jan. 2024, Morrow signed a lease to rent a room in Grover Beach, inside the District 3 boundary. She then registered to vote at the Grover Beach address and run as a write-in candidate.

On March 5, Supervisor Ortiz-Legg won the seat with 91.41% to 6.59%, or 12,272 votes to 866 votes.

During its investigation, the SLO County District Attorney’s Office determined Morrow continued to live in Oceano in District 4 while running for office in District 3. In addition, Morrow voted fraudulently through a District 3 ballot while her actual residence remained in District 4.

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Probably Nuts Gallery

You are the all knowing type that gorges on innuendo, hear say, rumors and conspiracy theories.

Then regurgitates it back out casually as a matter of facts to like minded rubes who feast on your hyperbole as the solemn truth.


-6

Oh look! A Republican committing election fraud. Go figure


-3

I think the democrats should figure out who their leader is going to be before complaining about the other party.


1

Michelle’s mother, Linda Quinlan, is the President of New California and advocates against election fraud!!! What irony!!! She was also endorsed by the Republican Party of SLO, the same people who continue to claim election fraud is occurring in the Clerk’s Recorder’s office. Wake up local republican party…. you are endorsing the wrong people!!!!


-6

Don’t feel bad about the “down” votes. They are a badge of honor on this comments site. There are a whole gang of commentors who down vote anything that disagrees with their very narrow and misinformed opinions. Nothing could be more obvious than your statement, but they choose to reject it. Actual truth is never acceptable when it disagrees with their manufactured rhetoric, otherwise known as “alt facts”.


-3

Seems democrats endorsed the wrong people on a national level. California small town politics seem to be corrupted regardless of who’s in charge. I mean slo county did have a democrat board supervisor kill himself after his corruption was uncovered. To this day the county is still untangling the mess that supervisor left behind.


37

Thankfully we untangled the mess of the gerrymandered map that your cult foisted upon us.


2

You should do a better job of reading my comments. I don’t side with one party over the other. As I’m not naive enough to think one is more corrupt than the other. It’s about the voters having proper representation and holding all corrupt politicians accountable not just the ones in the party you think is evil


0

She identifies as a Grover resident, and that makes it permissible, right?


0