Florida Sen. Rick Scott is calling on the Justice Department to take a closer look at a California voter fraud case centered on a woman who admitted paying homeless individuals on Los Angeles’ Skid Row to register to vote.
In a letter sent Friday to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon, and obtained exclusively by The California Post, Scott commended federal prosecutors for bringing charges against Brenda Lee Brown Armstrong while urging a wider review of possible election-related wrongdoing.
“Americans expect and deserve elections that are free, fair, transparent, and efficient. California clearly does not want to meet those standards,” Scott told The California Post. “Between troubling reports of fraudulent ballots being submitted, people paying homeless people to cast ballots, and delays in ballot counting, everyone paying attention is troubled by the process. The American people deserve answers.”
The appeal comes just weeks after Armstrong, a Marina del Rey resident who also goes by “Anika,” agreed to plead guilty to a federal felony count tied to paying another person to register to vote in a federal election.
“The American people deserve to know the full scope of what occurred, who was involved, and whether similar conduct has taken place elsewhere. Election integrity is too important to permit anything less than a thorough accounting of the facts,” the letter said.
According to federal prosecutors, Armstrong spent several years working as a paid petition circulator and later broadened that effort by paying people — including homeless residents on Skid Row — to fill out voter registration forms and sign petitions.
Armstrong offered money, cigarettes and other items in exchange for voter registrations and petition signatures. Prosecutors further allege that on some occasions she provided homeless individuals with her own former Los Angeles address to place on registration forms, creating the possibility that mail ballots could be sent to an address she controlled, according to court filings.
The Justice Department has described the conduct as a violation of federal election law and said Armstrong admitted paying individuals to register to vote.
Sen. Scott specifically referenced comments from Dhillon, who said when charges were announced that false voter registrations can undermine public confidence in elections.
Federal officials have said Armstrong’s conduct stretched over roughly two decades and centered on collecting signatures for California ballot measures, recalls and referendums. Prosecutors contend she turned to voter registration efforts after discovering that some petition signatures were being rejected because signers were not registered voters.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
Scott’s letter also arrives as election administration in Los Angeles has become the focus of intense political debate following the city’s June 2 mayoral primary.
The contest saw Councilwoman Nithya Raman overtake reality television personality Spencer Pratt in the days after Election Day as mail ballots continued to be counted, securing a spot in the November runoff against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass.
The shifting results sparked criticism from prominent Republicans and conservative commentators, including President Trump, who questioned California’s lengthy ballot-counting process.
“No way this could have happened. Rigged Election!” Trump said in a social media post about the L.A. mayor’s race.
However, Los Angeles County election officials have repeatedly stated there is no evidence of election fraud or vote manipulation in the mayoral race.
The Registrar-Recorder’s Office has defended the integrity of the counting process and noted that California law allows ballots received and processed after Election Day deadlines to be counted under specific circumstances.
Scott did not directly accuse Los Angeles election officials of wrongdoing.
Instead, he pointed to the mayoral race as an example of why public confidence in election administration remains a significant issue and said continued federal oversight is important.
In the letter, Scott also renewed his support for the SAVE Act, legislation that would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.
The senator argued that stronger election safeguards are needed to bolster public trust and ensure that only eligible citizens participate in federal elections.
Armstrong, 64, pleaded guilty in federal court and admitted in a plea agreement that she illegally registered people living on Skid Row to vote
Federal prosecutors have indicated they are continuing to examine the broader circumstances surrounding the case, including whether additional individuals were involved in the alleged scheme.
Concerns about election integrity have intensified in recent weeks following interviews with homeless residents in and around Skid Row. Several individuals told reporters they had been approached by people seeking signatures and voter registrations, while others claimed they were offered small incentives, including cash and cigarettes, in exchange for participating.
The interviews surfaced after Pratt’s defeat and have fueled calls from some conservatives and election watchdogs for additional scrutiny of voter registration practices involving homeless populations.
Under California law, people experiencing homelessness can legally register and vote even if they do not have a permanent address.
Homeless voters may register using the address of a shelter or by identifying a location where they regularly stay, such as a street corner, park or other fixed location. They may also use a mailing address, including a post office box or homeless shelter, to receive election materials.
1 comment
Well CA will not anyone review the voter rolls either. The names and addresses given could be used by other individuals to allow multiple ballots to be counted. There should only be one consistent election process. This would avoid cheating and problems with voter confidence.