BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — In the midst of the general election, an organization that locally has been vocal about voting discrepancies has filed a lawsuit against Kern and four other counties, as well as the Secretary of State's office.
- The group Election Integrity Project California calls on Secretary of State Shirley Weber to answer for alleged discrepancies in the November 2022 election and for certain counties to appoint special masters to oversee certification of this election.
- According to the suit, in 2022, Weber's “Statement of the Vote" accounted for 11,146,620 votes counted, yet, when the Election Integrity Project requested the data and received the accounting from Weber in June of this year, they allegedly found 11,190,244 votes, which is over 43,000 more votes than what was certified.
- In the lawsuit, Kern County is listed as one of the counties with discrepancies. The suit claims that in 2022 the state reported 190,715 votes out of Kern County, but in 2024, that number for 2022 increased by 490 votes.
In the midst of the general election, an organization that locally has been vocal about voting discrepancies has filed a lawsuit against Kern and four other counties, as well as the Secretary of State's office.
In the suit, the group Election Integrity Project California calls on Secretary of State Shirley Weber to answer for alleged discrepancies in the November 2022 election and for certain counties to appoint special masters to oversee certification of this election.
"The data that she relied on in November of 2022 to do the certification, when we got the data back we saw that there were 43,624 ballots more in 2024 than what showed up in her certification” said Robert Tyler, the attorney representing the Election Integrity Project.
Tyler said they filed the lawsuit to compel Weber to explain why in 2022, her “Statement of the Vote" accounted for 11,146,620 votes counted, yet, when the Election Integrity Project requested the data and received the accounting from Weber in June of this year, they allegedly found 11,190,244 votes, which is over 43,000 more votes than what was certified.
"We have a right to ask, why is it that in 2024 it appears there were 43,624 more ballots cast than what you certified, and she hasn't responded,” Tyler said.
In the lawsuit, Kern County is listed as one of the counties with discrepancies. The suit claims that in 2022 the state reported 190,715 votes out of Kern County, but in 2024, that number for 2022 increased by 490 votes.
While these alleged discrepancies could be answered through the suit, I took to the elections office to ask local voters if they feel secure about their ballots and the results. Some said they're not fully confident in the process that won't stop him from casting their votes.
"The powers at be need to see that people are still paying attention to something,” said Jerry English, a voter casting his ballot Monday. "Like the last time, they say the vote that was stolen. I don't know, so I'm placing my vote because so many people don't, and if people are going to complain about what's going to then don't go vote, well.”
Others told me they weren't concerned about the democratic process even if it comes with some hurdles.
"It doesn't concern me because I believe everything is fair within reason,” said Gregory Lane, who went to cast his ballot at the Elections Office alongside his wife.
Angel Pineda, another local voter, said he feels very confident in the process and, like Lane, believes his vote matters. Both Lane and Pineda agreed that while they understand the process isn’t perfect, they trust that the overall outcome will be correct.
"I think overall it's more or less accurate,” said Pineda.
For first time voter Edith Karungi, who came to the U.S. from Uganda over ten years ago, she said she believes in the American system especially when it comes to elections.
"The system has made me confident to be able to be very secure. I know some of the areas have integrity issues related to that and I appreciate their reasons because obviously nothing is perfect,” Karungi said.
We made attempts to ask Weber about the discrepancies in the suit but her office responded that they do not comment on pending litigation. We also made attempts to reach Kern County Registrar of Voters Aimee Espinoza and did not hear back.
As for the petitioners, Tyler said they're also asking the court to implement greater measures when it comes to the certification of this election.
"We're asking for a special master to be appointed,” he said. “So they can effectively look over the Secretary of State's shoulder and look over the shoulder of these various counties before they certify the vote.”
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