Justice Department investigates alleged election fraud in Los Angeles

Federal election scrutiny in Los Angeles focused Friday on a ballot processing center, where the Justice Department said an assistant U.S. attorney was sent to observe vote counting while First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said his office had "multiple election fraud investigations underway" with the FBI.

That public activity came alongside a stark gap between the allegations and the record. Donald Trump accused California Democrats, without evidence, of trying to "steal" the governor’s race and Los Angeles’ mayoral primary. California election officials said the vote was still being counted under ordinary state procedures, not exposed as a finished tally ripe for fraud claims.

California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber said the June 2 primary remained in the official canvass period, when counties have up to 30 days after Election Day to complete tallying, auditing and certification. Vote-by-mail ballots postmarked on or before Election Day and received by June 9, 2026, still had to be processed. County elections officials were due to report final official results by July 2, and the secretary of state was set to certify the results on July 10.

As of June 4, state officials said counties had processed and counted 5,617,892 ballots, with 3,606,128 ballots still outstanding. In Los Angeles County, election officials reported 1,477,473 ballots cast, or 25.08% turnout, and said 73.41% of ballots had been distributed by mail. The county has repeatedly said results are not final on Election Night because ballot counting and verification continue through the canvass period.

Rob Bonta, the California attorney general, said his office had "a presence on the ground right now" and was monitoring the situation closely. His office’s posture underscored how politically charged the federal move had become, with state officials emphasizing routine canvass work while the Trump administration’s local prosecutor pointed to active fraud inquiries.

Essayli also pointed to a recent case in which a Marina del Rey woman was charged with allegedly paying people, including unhoused people on Skid Row, to register to vote. That case, while serious, was a narrow criminal allegation, not evidence of a broad scheme to overturn the June primary. The central test now is whether federal law enforcement is following specific evidence in Los Angeles or giving weight to a broader political narrative that California officials say does not match the count.