Federal election monitors might conjure up visions of the Balkan states or the Jim Crow South, but if they come to San Francisco in November, it will not be the first time, political observers say.
“It’s not like Jimmy Carter going to Africa,” said political consultant Jim Ross, who helped put Mayor Gavin Newsom in office but is not working on this year’s campaigns. “For a contested San Francisco mayor’s race, this is pretty standard.” Read More
Allegations of voter manipulation by an independent expenditure group supporting Ed Lee prompted seven mayoral candidates to seek federal election monitors Sunday.
Lee’s challengers wrote to the U.S. Department of Justice and the California secretary of state, suggesting that the SF Neighbor Alliance targets Cantonese-speaking voters and “may potentially impinge on” their voting rights. Read More