SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Over the weekend, anonymous messages were taped on No on Measure N yard signs. These redacted notices claim illegal voter registration from certain homes, using public records to try to identify people voting outside their domicile. Steve Teshara and Sharon Kerigan of the No on Measure N sign called in a press release for the Yes on Measure N group to disavow these actions.

The domicile issue has come up before, as earlier in the year, a letter campaign was started to encourage non-resident homeowners in South Lake Tahoe to register to vote. Teshara stated in the press release that though the No on Measure N campaign was not associated with the letter that was passed around, “Our campaign immediately issued a statement that persons who are not domiciled in South Lake Tahoe should not register to vote here.”

The notices are heavily redacted, but reference public records obtained from the El Dorado County Assessor’s office and screenshots collected in a Google Drive as the alleged proof that the homes are not the voters’ domiciles. The redacted information includes the full names, voter IDs, addresses, and out-of-town mailing addresses. The notice also included whether or not the homeowner’s property tax exemption was claimed for the parcel.

Voter lists for an area can be requested for several reasons, such as campaigns, educational purposes, research, governmental, journalistic, or election purposes—all of which must be non-commercial purposes, according to the California Elections Code. Someone requesting this information would have to fill out a form and pay a fee to obtain information such as a voter’s full name and their unique voter ID.

Bill O’Neill, El Dorado County registrar of voters stated, “The use of this information for voter intimidation is absolutely against the intended use and we will be investigating this incident with the district attorney’s office.”

This is expressly written in the California Elections Code § 2194, which says, “[The affidavit of voter registration information] shall not be used for any personal, private, or commercial purpose, including, but not limited to: the harassment of any voter of voter’s household; the advertising, solicitation, sale, or marketing of products or services to any voter or voter’s household; reproduction in print, broadcast visual or audio, or display on the internet or any computer terminal.”

The El Dorado County Assessor’s office does have information on public parcels available online such as who owns the parcel, as well as mailing addresses and information on the homeowner’s property tax exemption. Not all parcels have the same information available, but it’s possible to obtain this information given an address. Jon DeVille, county assessor for El Dorado County, said that public information filed by taxpayers is statutorily required for the assessor to maintain. “These include the assessment roll, assessment maps, list of all property transferred in the last two years, welfare exemption claims and supporting documents, market data, and information obtained on property characteristics,” said DeVille. However, other information such as change in ownership statements, personal property statements, and other appraisal information obtained by a county assessor are not public information.

The assessment roll, which is open for public inspection, can be accessed at the county assessor’s office or provided through email for a $25 fee. When asked about how the information on the notices could have been obtained, Deville replied, “Someone could have obtained roll data from our office, which is public information.  Additionally, individuals could also go onto our website, type in an address, and determine, if, a homeowner’s exemption was associated with the property, which would indicate if the home was a primary residence.”

According to the No on Measure N press release, residents who were targeted were encouraged to file complaints to the authorities for investigation.

Kerigan said in the press release, “Measure N has been a contentious issue for South Tahoe, but these actions cross the line far beyond even heated election rhetoric. Intimidation has no place in our system.”

The Yes on Measure N campaign responded by discouraging this behavior in their own press release. “The Vibrant Not Vacant ‘Yes on N’ campaign calls on all community members to refrain from singling out any individuals suspected of voter fraud, and instead let the District Attorney handle the ongoing investigation. The efforts of anyone interested in supporting the ‘Yes on N’ campaign are better spent sharing information about the policy.”

The Yes campaign went on to say that that the El Dorado County’s District Attorney is actively investigating at least 161 people suspected of voter fraud. “While registering to vote at a second home is illegal, actually voting at a residence that is not a domicile is a more serious crime,” stated the Yes on N campaign. “We anticipate the DA will pursue deeper investigation after all ballots are cast.”

Eli Ramos is a reporter for Tahoe Daily Tribune. They are part of the 2024–26 cohort of California Local News Fellows through UC Berkeley.