Charges Filed Against California Woman Who Paid People To Vote

A California woman was charged Monday for paying people, including the homeless, to vote.

The Charges: Brenda Lee Brown Armstrong, 64, has been charged with one felony count of paying another person to register to vote. She faces up to five years in federal prison for the offense and has agreed to enter a guilty plea.

Investigative Reporting: According to Bill Essayli, first assistant US attorney for the Central District of California, Armstrong came under investigation following a video by the founder of Project Veritas James O'Keefe, which showed people on Skid Row being paid for their signatures.

"Petition Circulator": Armstrong has worked for 20 years as a "petition circulator," tasked with collecting signatures in the Los Angeles area, including Skid Row, to help qualify a measure for a ballot. Armstrong would only be paid if the signatures collected were by registered voters, and she admitted offering people money or items such as cigarettes or phone cards in exchange for registering them. For the homeless, she often used her own former address for their registration forms. In California, all registered voters receive ballots in the mail, meaning that mail-in ballots could be sent to the address she provided instead of to the people she had registered.

California Voter Rolls: A federal judge in January dismissed a US Department of Justice lawsuit against California seeking to obtain voter rolls to audit them over allegations of widespread voter fraud within the state. The ruling was appealed and is set for oral arguments to begin Tuesday.

"Faith In Elections": Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said "False registrations undermine Americans' faith in elections—even more so when payoffs are involved," adding that "This Justice Department is committed to ensuring that all U.S. elections are fair and free from illegal meddling—so that all Americans can accept the results with confidence."

How The Media Covered It: The New York Post (Lean Right bias) said Armstrong has agreed to a guilty plea for what the outlet called "bombshell charges."  Both the New York Post and Fox News (Right) highlighted that because Armstrong used her own address, mail-in ballots could be sent to her home, something left-leaning outlets often did not mention. Los Angeles Times (Lean Left) said that Armstrong was charged as "part of an effort to crack down on what they claim is widespread voter fraud across the state." The article also called Project Veritas a "far-right group."

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