The Justice Department under the Trump administration is ramping up scrutiny of California‘s election system amid dramatic shifts in the outcomes of several closely watched races, even as the state’s election officials were still counting ballots nearly a week after voters cast their primary votes.Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles have now opened multiple election fraud investigations, established a public tip line for reporting suspected election misconduct, renewed criticism of California’s voter registration and ballot collection policies, and sent a federal prosecutor into Los Angeles County’s ballot processing center for a second time on Monday to observe the counting process.The heightened federal attention comes as late-counted ballots have reshaped several major contests. In the Los Angeles mayoral primary, former reality television star Spencer Pratt saw an Election Day lead of roughly 40,000 votes disappear as additional ballots were counted, allowing progressive City Councilwoman Nithya Raman to advance to the general election and fueling renewed debate over California’s lengthy vote counting process.
The DOJ’s involvement has steadily expanded since President Donald Trump said last week he was concerned about “rigging” occurring in the state’s primary election that took place last Tuesday.
