Sunset light shines on the historic downtown City Hall of Fullerton, California, USA.
A candidate for the Fullerton City Council was charged with perjury Friday, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
Scott Markowitz falsified paperwork by saying that he himself circulated a petition, asking residents for signatures for ballot access, prosecutors alleged.
To become a city council candidate in Fullerton, candidates need to personally get 30 voters to sign a petition. After receiving the signatures, candidates also must sign a document, saying that they were the ones who communicated with voters about the petition to be able to appear on the ballot.
Orange County authorities believe, instead of following the rule, Markowitz may have had other people ask for signatures as multiple voters who signed his petition told prosecutors he was not the one who asked them to
sign it.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
Markowitz now faces charges of perjury and offering false or forged documents to be filed.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office said that if Markowitz wins the election, he will be unable to assume office.
Three other candidates are also running for the seat, two Democrats and one Republican.
City News Service contributed to this story.
