El Dorado County (Sept 24, 2024) – Concerning/questionable activity’ in voting registration under investigation by District Attorney’s office
In a proactive move to ensure the integrity of South Lake Tahoe’s upcoming election, the El Dorado County District Attorney’s office is investigating potential voter fraud after sending out 161 letters to recently registered voters on August 8. The probe began following an audit by the county registrar, which raised concerns about individuals who may have altered their voting address under suspicious circumstances. While many of these changes may be legitimate—such as students or recent movers—it follows the circulation of a flyer encouraging individuals to register in the area to influence the vote on Measure N, the controversial Tahoe Vacancy Tax.
Measure N proposes a tax on vacant residential properties, a measure that has drawn sharp opposition from multiple property owners, particularly those who live elsewhere but hold vacation homes in South Lake Tahoe. Under California law, only individuals whose primary residence aligns with where they claim a property tax exemption are eligible to vote in local elections, excluding most second-home owners.
Bill O’Neill, El Dorado County’s Registrar of Voters, clarified voting eligibility in a June letter and pointed to a similar 2010 incident involving voter registration in Fallen Leaf. While vacation homes can be classified as a “residence,” they do not qualify as a “domicile”—which includes key connections to an area like work, healthcare, or school enrollment.
The investigation was sparked by concerns raised by a California state assembly member and homeowner in Tahoe Keys who received the flyer urging voters to change their registration. The county registrar’s office, alongside Simon Brown, a district attorney investigator, has since begun tracking about 70 individuals whose voting registration may warrant further action.
