Elected Dem official fined for voting twice in 2020 election: 'Never really stated' you can't 'vote in more than one state'



An elected Democratic official from Washington, D.C., was recently fined for voting twice in the 2020 general election.

The District of Columbia Board of Elections fined Vanessa Rubio, an elected advisory neighborhood commissioner, $500 after she cast her vote in both D.C. and Maryland.

Rubio was first elected as a neighborhood commissioner in 2020 and re-elected in 2022. Elected candidates serve two-year, unpaid terms.

Rubio was one of six people fined this month for double voting in the 2020 election. The five other individuals were penalized $100 each, while Rubio received a greater fine since she is an elected official.

The board stated in its decision, "We see fit to hold her to a higher standard than other voters."

All of the individuals, including Rubio, claimed they voted twice by mistake.

Rubio admitted that "she did vote in person in DC in the 2020 [general election], but that she did not recall voting" in Maryland, the board reported. When shown her signature on the Maryland voting card, Rubio "acknowledged that the signature was hers, albeit a 'sloppier' version." Rubio reportedly stated it was "possible" she voted in Maryland but did not "recall doing so."

According to WRC-TV, Rubio voted in Maryland on November 1, 2020, and in D.C. on November 3, 2020. Documents obtained by the outlet stated that Rubio claimed she did not think it was illegal.

The documents read, "Rubio acknowledged voting twice, but reiterated her understanding that it was permissible to vote in D.C., as it was not a state, and then vote in a state election."

The board's ruling also noted, "Ms. Rubio stated that it was 'never really stated that you are not able to vote in more than one state,' and that she thought that if one attempted to do so, the 'system' would block one from doing so."

Sarah Graham, a spokesperson for the D.C. Board of Elections, told WTOP, "Voters should be aware that D.C. and other jurisdictions including states do have laws on the books against voting more than once."

"It can result in fines or other legal actions," Graham added.

It is unclear whether Rubio will also face penalties in Maryland.

Rubio did not respond to multiple requests for comment from several outlets, including NBC, WRC, and WTOP.

Elected DC official fined $500 for committing voter fraud. Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner @vanessarubio01 voted in DC & MD in 2020. She told @vote4dc she thought since DC isn\xe2\x80\x99t a state, it was ok. 5 other voters each fined $100 for double voting in 2020 @nbcwashington
— (@)

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Emergency contraception vending machine installed at Washington DC university: 'You could get Doritos and Plan B at the same time'



An emergency contraception vending machine was recently installed at a Washington, D.C., university following a student-led effort in response to the Supreme Court's ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade last year, the Washington Post reported.

Aiza Saeed, a student at George Washington University, worked with peers and school officials to have a vending machine with "morning-after" pills installed on campus.

"You could get Doritos and Plan B at the same time," Saeed told the Post, referring to the brand name for a type of emergency contraceptive pill.

\u201cEMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION: This morning, GW University installed a vending machine on campus that sells emergency contraception pills (aka Plan B) for $25. This afternoon on News4, we'll chat with the student leaders who advocated for the machine @nbcwashington @GWtweets\u201d
— Aimee Cho (@Aimee Cho) 1674578629

Neharika Rao, another GWU student who participated in the effort, told WRC-TV, "After Roe v. Wade was overturned, we felt a lot of passion in making sure that people felt supported on this campus."

After surveying over 1,500 students about the vending machine, Rao and Saeed stated there was "not a lot of pushback."

"The only concern was about discreetness and how we could make sure that students felt that it wasn't a very public way to go and get some type of contraceptive," Rao explained.

The vending machine, which also supplies Advil and tampons, was installed in the basement of the student center.

Christian Zidouemba, president of the student association at GWU, defended the decision, stating, "Overall, the reaction is we need this on our campus."

"We need to make sure it's less expensive and more discreet so people can purchase it," Zidouemba added, noting that he is exploring ways to lower the cost further.

A GWU spokesperson stated that while pharmacies offer the pills for around $50, the pills in the university's vending machine are priced at $30 to provide students with a more affordable option. According to the university spokesperson, the university did not subsidize the vending machine. However, the university's student health center has previously provided emergency contraception.

Kelly Cleland, the executive director of the nonprofit American Society for Emergency Contraception, told the Post that her organization has worked with students from more than 70 school campuses to provide access to the pills. Cleland estimated that approximately 32 campuses have similar emergency contraception vending machines.

WRC-TV reported that Boston University, Dartmouth University, Northeastern University, Stanford University, and two University of California campuses also have vending machines that dispense emergency contraception.

Shaohannah Faith, a Washington, D.C., regional coordinator for Students for Life of America, called the GWU's decision alarming and told the Post that providing the pills "with the same readiness as candy and chips is reckless and disappointing."


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DC Mayor Bowser renews call for DC National Guard assistance amid influx of migrants



Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, is asking for the D.C. National Guard to be deployed to help the city contend with the influx of migrants arriving in the region, a request that comes after the city's prior request for D.C. National Guard assistance was denied.

"The District of Columbia writes to provide additional information to support our July 19 request to deploy the DC National Guard (DCNG) to help prevent a prolonged humanitarian crisis in our nation's capital resulting from the daily arrival of migrants in need of assistance," Bowser wrote in an August 11 letter to U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

\u201cWe need help from our federal partners as we seek to stabilize and manage our operating environment in this critical moment.\n\nI have been honored to work with the men and women of the DC National Guard many times and today we renewed our request for their assistance.\u201d
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@Mayor Muriel Bowser) 1660253923

Month after month the nation's southern border is inundated by massive flows of migrants coming into the country.

But some migrants have been heading to D.C. from the states of Texas and Arizona, where the states' Republican governors have been busing migrants who voluntarily take the trip.

In a letter last month, Christopher Rodriguez, the director of the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, requested the help of the D.C. National Guard on behalf of Mayor Bowser. The letter declared that "the Governors of Texas and Arizona are making a political statement to the federal government, and instead, their actions are having direct impacts on city and regional resources in ways that are unsustainable."

\u201c9 days since @MayorBowser requested @SecDef @ @POTUS activate @DCNationalGuard DC has received no answer. @nbcwashington\u201d
— Mark Segraves (@Mark Segraves) 1659025732

That request was later rebuffed by the Defense Department, which is why Bowser is now trying again.

In the new letter requesting the D.C. National Guard, Bowser wrote that, "our hope is that the DCNG can aid in strengthening local efforts beginning August 22 and extending for the next 90 days. We need help from our federal partners as we seek to stabilize and manage our operating environment in this critical moment."

Far-left DC mayor requests National Guard to help with 'humanitarian crisis' of 4,000 illegals who've been bused to nation's capital — a sanctuary city



Far-left Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser requested the National Guard to help with what she called the "humanitarian crisis" of 4,000 illegal immigrants who've been bused to the nation's capital — a sanctuary city — over the last several months.

What are the details?

Bowser, a Democrat, made the National Guard activation request in a July 19 letter to the office of the Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin and in a July 22 letter to White House aides, WRC-TV reported:

\u201c9 days since @MayorBowser requested @SecDef @ @POTUS activate @DCNationalGuard DC has received no answer. @nbcwashington\u201d
— Mark Segraves (@Mark Segraves) 1659025732

"The migrant crisis facing our city and our country through cruel political gamesmanship from the Governors of Texas and Arizona must be dealt with at the federal level,” the July 22 letter reads, according to WRC.

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott earlier this year began chartering buses to send migrants to D.C. and other sanctuary cities, the station said, but aid groups said there are not enough resources available for them in the nation's capital.

Image source: WRC-TV video screenshot

Bowser said the 4,000 migrants who've arrived so far in D.C. is a “humanitarian crisis” that has reached a “tipping point," WRC reported, adding that the city hasn't received a response to its National Guard request as of Thursday.

Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas agreed with Bowser's assessment in a Thursday tweet — and added a zinger for the mayor:

\u201cDC Mayor\u2014rightly\u2014calls massive influx of illegal aliens a \u201chumanitarian crisis.\u201d\n\nShe says w/ 4000 arriving in DC, we\u2019re \u201cat a tipping point.\u201d\n\nIf 4000 is a tipping point, what the hell do you call the THREE & A HALF MILLION illegal immigrants who\u2019ve crossed our southern border??\u201d
— Ted Cruz (@Ted Cruz) 1659026509

"If 4,000 is a tipping point, what the hell do you call the THREE & A HALF MILLION illegal immigrants who’ve crossed our southern border??" Cruz wondered.

Anything else?

Bowser also requested the use of the DC Armory — a multipurpose events venue — as a processing center, WRC said.

On Wednesday, immigration agents found 73 migrants living in houses operated by human smugglers in Northwest D.C., the station said, citing internal documents NBC News reviewed. WRC said it's unclear why so many migrants were being kept in what appear to be stash houses in D.C.