How does someone admit guilt but then plea not guilty? Ms. Morales has indeed comitted voter fraud. Trying to vote twice under two separate names was wrong and it's illegeal. I look forward to seeing how the rest of this story unfolds.

1wino: It looks like you've already tried and convicted Ms. Morales. Luckily, our legal system operates on the premise of "innocent until proven guilty." I'm fully aware that voter fraud is a felony and I don't condone it in any situation. As for Jeff Warren, et al., you're the one who brought up personal attacks and lies, which is precisely what that group has slung at the other side over the months -- false claims of extortion, name calling and insults.

I'm with dragonlady and gidlish, this is high drama. What's funny to me is someone on this thread made a comment about how this issue has torn and divided St. Helena. Well, I've known the good folks of St. Helena to get torn and divided over the outcome of a Bocce Ball game. High drama indeed. Also a good call, once again, by the reason-ator.

reason-ator: your question is an apples/oranges comparison. On the one hand, if thousands of people don't vote, that's their right and it's perfectly legal. On the other hand, a person who intentionally fills out multiple ballots in a variety of names is indeed a crime.

I mean, I guess ol' Joe Kennedy's famous voter fraud for his son was ok because he "cared enough" and it apparently wasn't as bad as those unwilling to vote. To be blunt, if people can't be bothered to learn the issues and make the effort to fill in an absentee ballot then quite frankly I wouldn't want their voices heard anyway. If they don't care, why should we?

sthelenavoter,
Ms Morales was one of the founders of the recall group. Try as you may to distance yourself from her but The fact is that she is involved. And just because Alfaro won by a large margin does not make it ok to break the law. You can downplay the fact that it's one vote but fraudulent votes add up and lots of people voting more than once can change the outcome of an election. This is not about Jeff Warren at this point. Its about voter fraud, and thats a felony.

I do not live in St Helena, I have no particular axe to grind other than what I have read in the Register.

I just wanted to point out that I think it is possible and indeed even likely that a majority of the recall supporters would neither endorse nor condone voter fraud.

The will of the people will be heard one way or another.

I do not know how this will turn out but I think it is fair to hold open the possibility that people who support the recall may do so for legitimate reasons and more than likely knew nothing of this one supporters crime.

it would be like holding our President responsible for his Aunt being here illegally.

Not a fair criticism.

So what's worse ?

Thousands and/or millions of people who don't care very much and NOT voting ?

or

A person caring enough to vote twice ?

i must agree with the dragonlady. i'm new to the area and i've never been so entertained in my life. what's funny is that alot of the people in this area are supposed to be soooooo sophisticated and look upon themselves as far above those that can't live here, but once your here for awhile, what you see is alot of wealth and not alot of commone sense.
what a shame......and no, i'm not leaving, this is cheap entertainment and i need to laugh these days.

False felony charges, Extortion and now Voter Fraud. This recall story reads like a dime store novel. Who are these people and why would any person with an iota of common sense want them running the schools?
I can't wait for the next chapter. What a read!

Give me a break, sthelenalocal and 1wino. This is an individual who apparently may have voted twice in an election that had little to do with the recall and in which Mr. Alfaro won by a landslide. Frankly, I haven't seen Ms. Morales' name associated with the recall information and letters in the paper for some time now, have you? That leads me to believe that she hasn't been involved in th recall for awhile. As for personal attacks, just read Jeff Warren's column and statements over the last few months and compare that to what the recall group has stated. The recall group sticks to the issues, while Warren et. al. scream out "5 year wonders" and "helicopter parents." I'm impressed that the recallers haven't gotten down into the mud with the anti-recall people by now. Instead they've taken the high road and it's been refreshing to see.

How could Miss Morales think that "one" extra vote can impact the voting results: perhaps it was simply a mistake but a mistake that I'd like see explained in detail.

This is a great look into the recall group. "Win at all costs". It doesn't matter how you win, just win. Its disgusting and its exactly what we dont need in this valley. There have been so many lies and so many unjust personal attacks, and now we have the founderl accused of a felony. Now the recall group immediately abandons one of their founders and says that shes not involved in the group. At least they're consistent. These people are real gems.

This sounds like a horrible lapse of judgment by Ms. Morales, but it should not have any bearing on the recall election. The recall is happening because St. Helena's school board failed to: listen to the community, make fiscally responsible decisions, and prepare St. Helena for the future. A successful recall election will be the first step in getting St. Helena Unified School District back on track. Don't let the actions of this one person interfere with the positive changes that are about to happen in St. Helena.

Stupid move on Morales' part, but that doesn't change the fact that the board didn't follow the proper protocols. There are consequences for these actions. Morales may go to jail. The board may get recalled.

I deplore and condemn any and all attempts at election fraud committed by anyone. I commend the Napa County Elections Office under John Tuteur for discovering this offense, even though one extra vote could not have affected the 900 - vote margin in the November, 2009, school board election. I continue to rely on Mr. Tuteur and his staff to ensure fair and honest election results.

I deplore and condemn any and all attempts at election fraud committed by anyone. I commend the Napa County Elections Office under John Tuteur for discovering this offense, even though one extra vote could not have affected the 900 - vote margin in the November, 2009, school board election. I continue to rely on Mr. Tuteur and his staff to ensure fair and honest election results.

To the Citizens of Quality Education, of course you immediately separate yourself from this unfortunate situation. However, your actions will have far worse consequences on this community. Unfortunately, your actions have torn and divided a special place we call home. Over the past few weeks, several people have been negatively affected by this recall both professionally and personally. Its not only affected a strong community, but now it has affected a person that has been part of this community. Unfortunately for Mrs. Morales, you have turned your back on her, like you have many who do not support the recall. May this unfortunate situation be a reflection that your actions were unjust and unnecessary. Whether you want to admit it or not, Mrs. Morales has been heavily involved in supporting the recall. I wonder if she now regrets her involvement in your "click" group of friends who initiated this disastrous mess. Please vote "No" on this recall. It's done enough damage.

Chicago politics in Napa Valley? Say it ain't so.

The Citizens for Quality Education were shocked and disappointed to learn of the charges, but we are confident that the legal system will produce a just and fair result. Ms. Morales has not been actively involved in Citizens for Quality Education or the recall effort for several months now.
One of the guiding principles of Citizens for Quality Education has been to act with honesty and integrity, and we strongly disapprove of any act that interferes with the election process. We have been working extremely hard to bring positive changes to our school district and we hope that this incident will not distract the community from the important issues raised by the recall.