Former local mayoral and county clerk-recorder candidate, Gaea Powell, was found guilty of eight felonies and one misdemeanor, following a trial that ended Sept. 18.
The former business consultant was charged with several counts of election and voter fraud from the 2022 and 2024 Arroyo Grande mayoral elections. She ran for the 2026 San Luis Obispo County clerk-recorder position but lost consideration for the primary election.
Powell was found guilty of the following felonies:
- Voter registration fraud
- Perjury by declaration in 2022
- Filing false nomination or declaration papers in 2022
- Failing to provide written notification under the Political Reform Act
- Fraudulent voting in the 2022 and the 2024 elections
- Perjury by declaration in 2024
- Filing false nomination or declaration papers in 2024
- Fraudulent voting in 2024
Powell registered to vote in Arroyo Grande despite permanently living outside city limits. With this address, she declared candidacy in the mayoral elections. Powell lost to current Arroyo Grande Mayor Caren Russom in November 2025. According to the California Elections code, candidates must live at the same address where they are registered to vote.
The District Attorney’s office officially announced they were filing charges against Powell in June 2025.
“This case is about accountability under the law for everyone, so that voters can have more trust in their election process,” wrote San Luis Obispo County’s District Attorney Dan Dow in a press release.
Powell pleaded not guilty to all charges and chose to represent herself during the trial, waiving her right to counsel. She centered her defense around the claim that she was not made aware of the rules about residency before she declared candidacy.
Powell claims the person she discussed candidacy rules with did not provide her with residency guidelines and the prosecution could not prove her intent as she did not know the rules.
“Our documented history of voter fraud in California generally speaking is quite limited,” said Paige Pellaton, political science assistant professor at Cal Poly. “For something like this to happen at scale is quite surprising.”
After the jury’s guilty verdict, Powell is out of custody under special terms while she waits for sentencing. According to a press release, Powell has a court order restraining her from molesting, annoying, threatening or harassing any of the non-law enforcement witnesses in the case.
“I think [this case] will lead to questions about voting integrity moving forward,” Pellaton said. “Although this case is quite alarming, I would say the fact that it is limited to our county is a positive sign in terms of the ability for elections to be administered at the local level. It makes it very difficult to swing an election statewide let alone nationwide.”
Powell’s official sentencing date is scheduled for Oct. 19.