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The Department of Justice has opened multiple investigations into California’s election procedures after President Trump raised alarms about potential fraud in the state’s slow-moving vote count. Bill Essayli, the first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, announced Friday that his office is pursuing “multiple election fraud investigations” alongside the FBI, promising to “follow the evidence wherever it leads and prosecute any violations of federal election law to the fullest extent.”
The announcement comes after Trump posted on Truth Social Thursday that Democrats are “trying to steal” California’s primary elections, noting that “votes are all tied up” and may not be fully counted for weeks. His post asked the question on many minds: “Why the vote counting DELAY???”
California’s vote-by-mail system allows ballots postmarked on or before election day to be received and counted up to seven days after the election. While state officials defend this as standard procedure, the extended timeline has drawn scrutiny, especially in competitive races where mail ballots often break heavily Democratic. In 2022, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass wasn’t declared the winner until eight days after election day.
A federal prosecutor from the U.S. attorney’s office visited the Los Angeles County ballot processing center Friday, observing operations after the registrar’s office was notified late Thursday of the planned visit. Election officials emphasized that their ballot processing is open to public observation and that they “routinely host observers representing a wide range of interests.”
The California primary, held Tuesday, includes races for governor and Los Angeles mayor. Under the state’s top-two primary system, the leading candidates advance to the November general election regardless of party affiliation. While Bass has already advanced to the general election for mayor according to NBC News projections, the gubernatorial race remains closely watched.
Trump has consistently criticized California’s mail-in voting system, arguing it creates opportunities for fraud. The DOJ’s decision to open formal investigations represents a significant escalation in federal scrutiny of state election procedures, one that could have implications beyond California’s borders as other states with similar vote-by-mail systems watch closely.
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