For many years now, Republicans have been desperate to prove that voter fraud is such a serious problem that the only way to combat it effectively is to force everyone to bring their long-form birth certificate and passport with them every time they vote. And oh, how they laugh and laugh at the idea that this might make it difficult for people to vote, especially people with fewer resources. Even if it does, they insist, it’s worth it to prevent the rampant voter fraud they’ve never been able to prove actually exists.
Well, there is some voter fraud, of course. But it always seems like the ones who get caught doing it are actually Republicans. Republicans like Gaea Powell, a Moms For Liberty activist and Trump supporter with approximately 87 videos on YouTube about why mammograms are the devil.
Powell is now facing up to eight years in prison after being found guilty on nine counts of voter fraud related charges — eight felonies and one misdemeanor, including “voter registration fraud, perjury by declaration, perjury by a false affidavit, two counts of false filing of a declaration of candidacy, two counts of fraudulent voting, and failure to report campaign expenditures greater than $2,000.”
These charges stemmed from her two attempts to run for mayor of Arroyo Grande, California, in 2022 and 2024. She didn’t win, obviously, but she did lie about her place of residence in order to qualify to run as mayor and then voted in that district.
But hey! How else is a gal who does not live in Arroyo Grande, but instead lives in some unincorporated area that probably doesn’t even have a mayor, supposed to run for mayor of Arroyo Grande? I ran into this very same issue when I thought about running for Princess of Monaco.
Earlier this year, Powell ran for the clerk-recorder position in San Luis Obispo County, California, on a platform of “fearlessly advocating for reforms that strengthen election legitimacy, public trust, and civic responsibility — including voter identification, proof of citizenship, clean voter rolls, and transparent processes.”
This was also, naturally, a concern for her during her run for mayor, as was eliminating “DEI” in local government and pornography in schools, which she claimed Governor Gavin Newsom “mandated,” despite the fact that the mayor has nothing to do with what the schools do.
Also, she was very against “ideology.” Just “ideology.” Generally. As a concept.
Powell, who represented herself during the trial, mainly argued that she didn’t know it was wrong to lie about her place of residence. She even said that she asked around about whether or not she could do that and everyone said it was okay.
“I openly discussed my living circumstances, sought guidance concerning my eligibility to run for office from election officials, and believed I was acting lawfully,” she said in a statement shared with SFGate.
“I respect the jury’s role. But I am deeply disappointed by today’s verdict,” she added. “I have maintained from the beginning, and I maintain today, that I did not knowingly deceive anyone and did not act with fraudulent intent.”
Powell got in a spot of trouble for not showing up during the first day of trial, claiming she was out sick. She said she became sick as a result of all the stress she experienced trying to put her case together and decided then that she should probably ask for a lawyer to represent her instead. She even gave them a doctor’s note stating that she was experiencing “lightheadedness, severe fatigue, diarrhea, and an inability to speak clearly.”
“I don’t know if any of the things in the note are things discovered by your doctor or things you’ve self-reported … and that gives the court very, very grievous concern,” said Judge Timothy Covello. “I’ve been doing this in one form or another for 30 years. There are all sorts of things that are anxiety-inducing for lawyers, jurors … witnesses who are subpoenaed.”
However, her request was denied on the grounds that the court had told her, repeatedly, that representing herself was a bad idea and that if she chose that path, she would not be able to request a lawyer at the very last minute. Which, you know, is exactly what she did.
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Powell says she plans to appeal the verdict.
It’s doubtful she will receive the full eight years, and I actually do hope she does not, because eight years is a tad much for a nonviolent crime, committed by a woman who is plausibly stupid enough to not realize she was committing eight felonies.
PREVIOUSLY ON WONKETTE!
OT: Donnie will have to teach his AI not to believe "fake news".
H. John Tran
@johnhtran.bsky.social
🔵 Trump just launched America.gov, the government’s new AI assistant.
It immediately confirmed:
Biden won in 2020.
Trump’s name appears in the Epstein files.
Then it stopped answering political questions.
That didn’t take long.
https://bsky.app/profile/johnhtran.bsky.social/post/3mwof6pq6hk2h
<It’s doubtful she will receive the full eight years, and I actually do hope she does not, because eight years is a tad much for a nonviolent crime, committed by a woman who is plausibly stupid enough to not realize she was committing eight felonies.>
Ask Crystal Mason how that goes. Not that she was stupid, but she got five years for much less, previous record as a felon notwithstanding. Of course, you know, Texas and Black is different from California and white. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_Mason