A registered child sex offender has sparked outrage after launching a Hail Mary bid to get on a California city council.

Rene Campos announced this week he will run for the District 7 seat on Fresno City Council. He pleaded with voters to overlook his twisted past, which includes being charged for possession of child sex abuse material.

Rene Campos is a registered sex offender and is running for public office. rene-campos.com

The move sparked outrage in the city, with his rivals demanding he is banned and pointing out he would never be able to visit a school if he wins.

Despite the crime, due to California law Campos is perfectly entitled to run for public office.

Nav Gurm, a small business owner and attorney who is also running for District 7, told the California Post: “I think it should be a disqualification to serve in public office.

“If I’m the next councilmember in District 7 and I can’t show up to a school site, how can I best represent the people in the neighborhoods I want to serve?

Campos wants to run for Fresno City Council. ABC30

“If someone is a registered sex offender they can’t be on campus at a school site, how are you going to be able to fulfill the duties of the job?

Gurm said he has reached out to some state legislators about bringing in a bill that would prevent it from happening in the future.

“It should be California law that if you are a registered sex offender, you can’t run for public office,” he said.

James Kus, Fresno County Clerk and Registrar of Voters. ABC30

Campos was charged with being in possession of child sex abuse material in 2018. He pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge.

He told ABC 30: “I believe Fresno deserves leaders who are honest from the very beginning, not the end. Going into this, I am putting my life out there.”

On his website he promises to “target repeat crime areas with coordinated police, mental health and city response teams.” “I’ve been given a chance to rehabilitate through the courts and go back into the system,” he said.

“They say let’s choose somebody outside the box, somebody who knows the system from the inside out, because I’ve experienced the laws that we are trying to reform right now.”

Fresno County Clerk and Registrar of Voters James Kus said state law does not prevent Campos from running for office.

Campos said he’s not hiding from his past. ABC30

“Once you leave prison, you’re on probation, you actually are allowed in California to reapply and become a registered voter again, which would then make you eligible to run as long as you’re living in the proper jurisdiction,” Kus said.

Under California law, you only lose your right to vote if you are currently incarcerated in a prison for a felony conviction.

Your rights are restored and you can register to vote immediately after your release, according to the Department of Justice.

In most states you lose your right to vote if you are convicted of a felony, a misdemeanor does not restrict your voting rights, per the DOJ.

In Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan, you only lose your right to vote if you are currently incarcerated for a criminal conviction (misdemeanor or felony)-Pretrial detention, probation, and parole do not restrict your voting rights.

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In Utah, Massachusetts, Maryland, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. you lose your right to vote if you are currently incarcerated.

In Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, or Washington State a misdemeanor or probation does not restrict a person’s right to vote.

Only in South Carolina and Missouri, do you lose your right to vote if you are on probation. Calls to Campos from The Post were not immediately returned. 

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