The Justice Department has addressed concerns circulating on social media regarding the vote count in the recent Los Angeles mayoral race. Allegations had surfaced suggesting that Republican candidate Spencer Pratt received zero new votes in a particular update on election night. These claims were notably amplified by several conservative figures, including Elon Musk.
DOJ’s Response
First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli, appointed by former President Donald Trump, clarified the situation, stating that the claims were unfounded. “We reviewed official county records. The claim is false. Each candidate received votes in every update,” Essayli confirmed.
The controversy arose when social media posts alleged election fraud, claiming a vote count update showed Pratt receiving no additional votes. Pratt, known for his previous reality TV career, was running against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and City Councilwoman Nithya Raman in a nonpartisan primary election. While CNN has projected Bass will advance to the November general election, it remains uncertain whether Pratt or Raman will join her as votes continue to be tallied.
Clarification from the Associated Press
The Associated Press, responsible for publishing real-time vote counts, explained that a lag in the automated update process caused the confusion. According to the AP, Pratt’s votes were included in a subsequent update, which was slightly delayed. This delay led to an initial appearance of zero additional votes for Pratt while other candidates’ votes were updated.
In the combined updates, Pratt received 21,870 votes, Bass 12,850, and Raman 9,521, along with votes for other candidates. These figures were confirmed by the AP spokesperson.
Context of the Claims
The emergence of these claims coincides with ongoing allegations from the Trump administration regarding election fraud in the United States. Former President Trump has continued to assert without evidence that the 2020 election was rigged. Recently, Trump also suggested that the slow vote count in Tuesday’s primary indicated Democratic “cheating.”
In response to these concerns, the Justice Department dispatched an attorney to observe the ballot processing in Los Angeles. Essayli further mentioned that investigations into election fraud in California are underway.
California’s reputation for slow vote reporting is attributed to the significant number of mail ballots, which can be received up to seven days post-election, provided they are postmarked by Election Day. These ballots often lean Democratic, contributing to the delayed results.
Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
