The San Benito County District Attorney’s Office said there was
no significant evidence of election code violations in actions
taken by a group to control growth within the county.
The San Benito County District Attorney’s Office said there was no significant evidence of election code violations in actions taken by a group to control growth within the county.
In early March, Marvin Jones, chairman of the San Benito County Republican Central Committee, requested that the district attorney’s office conduct an investigation into how the voter registration drive was conducted by the Citizens for Responsible Growth political action committee in conjunction with a signature-gathering program for the San Benito County Growth Control Initiative. The Board of Supervisors approved the initiative April 1.
Jones alleged that a box on the registration form stated that if someone provided help filling out the voter cards, they were supposed to identify themselves.
“They were just a little sloppy,” D.A. John Sarsfield said. “They did everything reasonable. There was nothing criminal intended.”
Jones also alleged that there were discrepancies on the voter registration forms indicating that a second party helped fill out the forms. There were differences in penmanship and different colors of ink on some forms, he said.
“There was a question as to the selection of political affiliation on the affidavits,” Sarsfield said.
Sarsfield referred the matter to the San Benito County Sheriff’s Department for the investigation, which took two months to complete.
The sheriff’s department conducted an audit of the affidavits and found no evidence of tampering or altering.
“The sheriff’s department did a thorough and professional job,” Sarsfield said. “As for the D.A.’s office, we consider the matter closed.”
