California is facing a prolonged vote count as millions of ballots remain uncounted, prompting unfounded allegations of election fraud from former President Donald Trump and his allies. With over 2.5 million ballots still to be processed, the outcome of key races, including the governor's primary and the Los Angeles mayoral election, remains uncertain.
Trump has taken to social media to claim without evidence that Democrats are rigging the election. In a post on Truth Social, he alleged that Republicans were being cheated in both the governor's race and the LA mayoral contest. His preferred candidate, reality TV star Spencer Pratt, has also hinted at conspiracy theories, suggesting that votes from homeless individuals gave his opponent Nithya Raman an unfair lead.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk has amplified these claims, reposting tweets questioning the integrity of California's elections and alleging fraud. Meanwhile, the Trump administration's Justice Department has sent a federal prosecutor to observe ballot counting in Los Angeles, and the US attorney's office has announced multiple election fraud investigations in coordination with the FBI.
However, no credible evidence of voter fraud has emerged. Bill Essayli, the first assistant US attorney for central California, has debunked specific claims about ballot manipulation, noting that a widely circulated story about a candidate receiving zero votes in a ballot update was false. Voter fraud remains extremely rare in the US, with the conservative Heritage Foundation's database showing only a tiny fraction of fraudulent votes over decades.
California's slow vote count is attributed to its extensive mail-in ballot system, which prioritises accessibility and security. Kim Alexander of the California Voter Foundation described the state's system as 'the most accessible, secure and verifiable election system in the country.' The extended counting process is a routine feature of California elections, not evidence of wrongdoing.
