A local politician who was convicted of ballot fraud has been named the vice mayor of San Luis, Arizona at a city council meeting last month.
Democrat Gloria Torres was appointed in December to her new post, just six months after pleading guilty to charges of conspiracy and ballot abuse dating back to the controversial 2020 election.
The serious election charges were brought following a two-year investigation by the State Attorney General’s Office and the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office into evidence that Torres and others conducted illegal ballot harvesting during the July 2020 primary election.
Hidden video surveillance footage turned over by two vigilant residents of Yuma became the key piece of evidence that led to the convictions of Torres, Nadia Guadalupe Lizarraga-Mayorquin, former San Luis Mayor Guillermina Fuentes, and Alma Yadira Juarez.
Torres was ultimately handed a two-year supervised probation sentence, after which she shockingly chose to remain in local government, a decision that underscored the issue of corruption in local government.
Gloria Torres was appointed Vice Mayor of San Luis, Arizona last month, despite a recent conviction for ballot abuse related to the 2020 election
Torres was charged, and ultimately convicted, by Arizona authorities of offenses pertaining to a July 2020 ballot harvesting scheme of which she was a part
Despite her criminal history, Torres’ appointment was officially suggested by outgoing Vice Mayor Luis Cabrera – the suggestion was accepted by a slim majority in a 4-3 council vote.
Garcia Snyder, a candidate for the Arizona House in Legislative District 25, of which Yuma is a part, said he is both ‘outraged and disappointed that a convicted ballot abuser has been elevated to this leadership position.’
‘The fact that a majority of the Council appears to have so little regard for our laws is an insult to residents, particularly in the Latino community. We are tired of this type of corruption and the Democrats so blatantly parading it in our faces.’
He suggested that Torres’ retention of power is indicative of a ‘corrupt grip’ Democrats keep over Latino communities.
‘Promoting a convicted ballot harvester … has to be a wakeup call for the Hispanic community in San Luis and surrounding areas,’ he said.
‘We are fed up with these hijinks and low standards. I am seeing my fellow Latinos migrating towards conservatives like me who hold high standards, share their values and their languages,’ he continued before adding in Spanish:
‘Save your family, your money, your opportunities and most importantly the American dream. Vote with the Conservative party ‘The Real party of Hispanics.”
Ballot counters during the controversial 2020 election in Arizona, where massive accusations of voter fraud took place in the wake of the official vote tally
San Luis, Arizona in Yuma County, where Torres has, for years, been a part of local government. Her career has been colored by questionable judgement and accusations of corruption
Torres has long been a source of controversy in local politics. Her questionable competence and ethics have followed her since she was first elected to the San Luis City Council.
In May of 2020 a performance audit by the Arizona Auditor General found that Arizona District 32, whose board Torres sat on at the time, had ‘paid (local elementary school) employees for time not worked,’ as well as ‘wasted $65,000 on unnecessary travel’ and failed to properly oversee its transportation program.
In 2023, Arizona State House represenatives noted that many of District 32’s problems were never really fixed and had led to employees stealing thousands of dollars from the local taxpayers.