Jesse Marx

The Desert Sun

Republican activists intend to monitor polling stations on Election Day, convinced, as Donald Trump has been telling them, that the presidential race is rigged.

Mary Henderson, chair of the Trump campaign in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, told KPCC public radio on Thursday that she knows several dozen people who will be on the look-out Nov. 8.

“Throughout history, the cheating has been done by stuffing the ballot box,” said Bob Richmond, who coordinates Trump activities in Palm Springs with his wife and radio host Elise. When asked for any proof of his claim, Richmond responded, “It’s almost impossible” to know who is and isn't a legal voter at the polls.

According to the Associated Press, a recent Loyola Law School professor analyzed 1 billion votes cast in all American elections between 2000 and 2014 and found only 31 known cases of impersonation fraud.

An Iowa woman named Terri Rote was arrested Thursday on suspicion of voting twice in the general election. A reporter at The Blaze, a conservative outlet, captured a photograph of Rote waiving a Trump sign back in February.

Meanwhile, the LA-based National Association of Latino Elected Officials Association, worried that Trump supporters might intimidate voters, especially non-white ones, have been pressing the Department of Justice to intervene.

Ballots began hitting homes last week. To be counted, yours must be returned to the Riverside County Registrar of Voters’ Office or any Riverside County polling place by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, or be postmarked on or before Nov. 8 and received no later than three days later.

To confirm that the registrar has received your ballot, visit voteinfo.net and click on the link “VOTE BY MAIL BALLOT STATUS LOOKUP.” Because election information is confident, you will not be able to see how you voted online.

Any voters dealing with vision loss are encouraged to visit the Braile Institute Rancho Mirage, where special machines and trained assistants will be available to help navigate the process. For more info, contact Lisa Jimenez at (760) 202-6103 or LMJimenez@brailleinstitute.org.

This article is part of the Insider column, a weekly roundup of political and public policy news. The full column runs every Sunday in The Desert Sun. Reach the author at jesse.marx@desertsun.com and @marxjesse on Twitter.