The Justice Department has addressed and refuted claims circulating on social media about a supposed discrepancy in the vote count for Los Angeles’ mayoral race. These claims, which gained traction among some conservative figures, suggested that Republican candidate Spencer Pratt received zero new votes in a particular update on election night.

Official Response

First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli, a Trump appointee, clarified the situation by stating, “There was a claim circulating on social media about an election night ballot update at the Los Angeles Registrar of Voters where one candidate received zero votes. We reviewed official county records. The claim is false. Each candidate received votes in every update.”

The confusion arose due to a delay in the automated vote count update, as explained by a spokesperson from The Associated Press. The spokesperson noted that while some candidates’ votes were updated, others, including Pratt, appeared to have received zero new votes due to a lag. However, a subsequent update corrected this, showing Pratt received 21,870 votes, alongside votes for other candidates.

Context and Ongoing Concerns

This incident is part of a broader narrative where former President Donald Trump continues to allege, without evidence, that election fraud is prevalent in the United States. In response to these claims, the Justice Department sent an attorney to observe the ballot processing in Los Angeles.

Essayli also mentioned ongoing investigations into election fraud in California, highlighting the state’s reputation for slow vote reporting due to its mail-in ballot system. Under California law, mail ballots can be received up to seven days post-election, provided they are postmarked by Election Day. This often results in a delay in final vote counts, which typically lean Democratic.

Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.