A Democrat official who previously pleaded guilty to illegal ballot harvesting was appointed as vice mayor of San Luis, Arizona, last month.
During its Dec. 13 meeting, the locality’s city council voted in a 4-3 decision to appoint Gloria Torres as vice mayor, a motion recommended by outgoing Vice Mayor Luis E. Cabrera. While the city council’s press release noted Torres’ history of serving as a councilwoman since 2000, it neglected to mention her role in an illegal ballot harvesting scheme during Arizona’s 2020 primary elections.
In October 2022, Torres was charged by then-Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s office with two counts related to illegal ballot harvesting. According to the indictment, Torres “knowingly collected [seven] voted or unvoted early ballots” from a third party for the state’s August 2020 primaries. Under Arizona law, “only a family member, someone from their household or a caregiver of the voter can return an early ballot for them.”
Torres ultimately pleaded guilty to the charges and entered a plea agreement with now-Attorney General Kris Mayes’ office in June 2023. As part of the agreement — which was approved by the Yuma County Superior Court that same month — one of Torres’ charges was downgraded to a misdemeanor while the other was dropped altogether. In return, Torres was sentenced to 24 months of probation and ordered to pay a $2,500 fine to the Arizona AG’s office.
The San Luis City Council’s decision to appoint Torres — a convicted criminal — as vice mayor comes at a time when Americans’ confidence in U.S. elections is fragile. Following the 2020 election, which was wrought with outside interference from federal intel agencies, Big Tech censorship, “Zuckbucks,” and more, many citizens have become extremely concerned about the integrity of the electoral process going forward. Appointing an individual such as Torres to such a high-ranking position is unlikely to ease those concerns.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
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