In the days after California’s primary election, conservative online commentators and influencers pointed to early returns as evidence that the state’s politics were shifting sharply to the right. As additional ballots were processed, however, some of that celebration gave way to unfounded claims that the vote count was being manipulated.
The reaction followed early results in California’s top-two primary system, where all candidates appear on the same ballot and the two highest vote-getters advance to the general election regardless of party. Republican Steve Hilton, a British-born former Fox News commentator, initially led a large field of 61 candidates for governor.
In Los Angeles, Republican Spencer Pratt also drew attention when early results showed him in second place in the mayor’s race after a campaign that included a series of artificial intelligence-generated parody videos targeting Mayor Karen Bass.
But as county election offices continued to count ballots, the standings shifted. Pratt later fell to third place. By Monday, Hilton remained in second place in the governor’s race, behind Democratic frontrunner Xavier Becerra, though his margin over billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer had narrowed to about five percentage points. The final outcome remained uncertain.
The changing numbers prompted complaints from some conservative media figures, podcasters and social media users about the length of California’s ballot-counting process. Some went further, alleging fraud without presenting evidence.
President Donald Trump joined those accusations during an interview aired Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” accusing California election officials of “cheating” because ballots were still being counted.
When interviewer Kristen Welker asked whether he had evidence, Trump responded, “All I have to do is look.”
Welker pressed him, noting that California’s vote-counting process routinely takes time. Trump rejected that explanation and called the elections “rigged,” also attacking NBC and the program. He eventually ended the interview, removed his microphone and left.
Other Republican officials amplified concerns about the count. House Speaker Mike Johnson said Monday that “everybody knows instinctively something is wrong.” On Friday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli posted on X that federal prosecutors were working with the FBI on “multiple election fraud investigations,” but he did not provide details.
There has been no public evidence presented showing widespread fraud in California’s primary.
California’s vote count often stretches for days or weeks because of the state’s election rules, especially its heavy reliance on mail ballots. The process has grown more time-consuming as lawmakers expanded access to voting over several decades.
Those changes were largely championed by Democrats, who have argued that easier access to ballots increases participation. Critics have long contended that the system benefits Democratic candidates in close races, but a slow count itself is not evidence of illegal activity.
The modern shift began after Democrats suffered a series of legislative setbacks in the late 1970s. Following the 1980 census, Democratic leaders redrew legislative and congressional districts and made absentee voting by mail more widely available.
That expansion did not immediately deliver the advantage Democrats expected. In 1982, Republicans made effective use of absentee ballots, helping George Deukmejian narrowly defeat Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley in the governor’s race despite polls that had suggested Bradley was favored to win.
Over time, California continued to broaden voter access. The state adopted automatic voter registration through the Department of Motor Vehicles and allowed voters to register on Election Day. The 2016 Voter Choice Act further encouraged mail voting while reducing the number of traditional polling places in participating counties.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, California has mailed ballots automatically to all registered voters. That change dramatically increased the number of mail ballots that county election workers must verify and process.
Election experts Eric McGhee of the Public Policy Institute of California and Mindy Romero of USC’s Center for Inclusive Democracy recently noted that the added volume has slowed the count. Each mail ballot requires signature verification to confirm that it was submitted by the proper voter, a security step intended to strengthen confidence in election results.
That safeguard, however, also contributes to the delay that critics have seized on to question the count.
The result is a recurring tension in California elections: rules designed to make voting more accessible and secure also make final results slower to arrive. As close races continue to develop after election night, the drawn-out process has increasingly become a target for political attacks and unsupported claims of fraud.
Original source: CalMatters
