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Voter fraud charge dropped against former city council candidate

Misdemeanor was dismissed as part of plea deal
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BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Voter fraud charge against a former Bakersfield city council candidate have been dropped as part of a conditional no contest plea.

Kern County court officials confirmed to 23ABC News that the misdemeanor charge against Gilberto De La Torre has been dismissed.

De La Torre pleaded no contest to voter fraud back in December after he was arrested the previous month. He was running for the Ward 1 seat, which was won by incumbent Willie Rivera.

The charge was dropped completely as part of his plea bargain. He was required to complete 70 hours of community service and have no further law violations up to the sentencing date of June 28.

There are two different types of voter fraud in California and De La Torre was charged with "[b]eing entitled to vote at an election, votes more than once, attempts to vote more than once, or knowingly hands in two or more ballots folded together at that election."

De La Torre previously ran in 2016 for mayor of Bakersfield.

In November of 2018, De La Torre told 23ABC News he believed he had been arrested in relation to that campaign.

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