Five dead folk voted in San Fran election

SAN FRANCISCO, March 1 (UPI) -- A San Francisco Chronicle investigation has found five votes cast in the city's last mayoral election were by dead people.

Though these votes would not have changed the outcome of the election -- winner Gavin Newsom enjoyed a 14,000-plus margin of victory -- it does indicate a problem, the newspaper reported Monday.

When informed of the five votes, Elections Director John Arntz said he confirmed the voters were still active on the rolls and referred the matter to the district attorney's office for further investigation.

Casting a vote in someone else's name is a felony, punishable by imprisonment for up to three years.

No matter how small the number, Arntz said, "if there are people that are deceased and folks voting for them, that's a bad situation."

Debbie Mesloh, a spokeswoman for District Attorney Kamala Harris, said her agency is looking into the matter.