Ballots Burned, Vote Center Vandalized Day Before Los Angeles Mayoral Race

Los Angeles County election officials said Sunday that two possible incidents of attempted election interference are under review after vote-by-mail ballots were found damaged by fire and a voting center in Long Beach was vandalized ahead of the June 2 primary election.

The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder said the fire-damaged ballots were discovered during the routine collection of ballots from an official drop box at the Department of Public Social Services-Civic Center in Los Angeles.

“Staff identified a limited number of vote-by-mail ballots that appeared to have sustained fire-related damage,” the county registrar-recorder said.

Officials said the incident occurred sometime between the final ballot pickup on Saturday and the first ballot pickup on Sunday. The office described the number of affected ballots as “small.”

A separate incident was discovered Sunday morning at the voting center located in Long Beach’s Cesar E. Chavez Park, where officials reported vandalism.

According to the registrar-recorder’s office, election workers responded to the situation and voting operations continued without interruption.

The county registrar-recorder said it is “carefully reviewing both incidents and working to identify any voters who may have been affected.”

Officials said voters impacted by the ballot fire will be contacted directly and given instructions on how to cast another ballot.

“Replacement ballots are possible,” remarked the county registrar-recorder.

The registrar-recorder’s office has filed reports with the Los Angeles Police Department as the investigation continues.

Los Angeles County Clerk Dean Logan issued a statement Sunday warning that efforts to disrupt voting, damage election infrastructure, or vandalize polling sites “will not be tolerated.”

“Our responsibility is to protect voters and ensure every eligible voter has the opportunity to cast a ballot,” Logan said.

“Any attempt to interfere with voting or election operations is taken seriously. We will continue working closely with law enforcement and other partners to safeguard the voting process and ensure voters can participate with confidence,” Logan said.

The public has been encouraged to report suspicious activity involving election materials, election facilities, or voting operations to the county registrar-recorder by calling (800) 815-2666.

The incidents come at a politically sensitive moment in California, where recent polling has shaken assumptions about both the governor’s race and the Los Angeles mayoral contest.

Two polls released last week suggested that races once thought to be more predictable may now be far more competitive than expected.

A survey from the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies found the Los Angeles mayor’s race nearly tied between incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, former reality television star Spencer Pratt, and Councilmember Nithya Raman. The results challenged earlier polling that had shown Bass with a more comfortable lead.

The same Berkeley IGS poll found former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra leading the California governor’s race with 25% support among likely voters. Republican commentator Steve Hilton followed with 21%, while billionaire investor Tom Steyer received 19%.

Those numbers suggested that California’s top-two primary system could still produce an all-Democrat runoff, though the race remained unsettled.

Under California’s system, the two candidates who receive the most votes in the primary advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation.

A separate California Post poll released Friday, conducted with McLaughlin & Associates, produced an even more unpredictable picture.

In the Los Angeles mayor’s race, that survey showed Pratt slightly ahead of Bass, 30.1% to 29.5%, while Raman placed third with 23.4%.

In the governor’s race, the California Post survey found Hilton and Steyer tied for first place at 25% each, while Becerra, widely viewed as a leading contender, fell to third with 19%.

The takeaway is clear: California’s primary could produce several unexpected outcomes.

The Los Angeles mayoral race, in particular, is drawing national attention. A victory by Pratt would represent one of the most stunning political upsets in recent California history and could set up an extraordinarily expensive November runoff.

For conservatives, the developments raise two major questions at once: whether California voters are finally showing signs of frustration with entrenched Democratic leadership, and whether election officials can maintain public confidence when ballots are damaged and voting facilities are vandalized just before a high-profile primary.

Los Angeles officials insist the affected voters will be protected and that voting operations remain secure. But in a state where mail ballots and drop boxes play a major role in elections, even a small number of damaged ballots can intensify public concern about election integrity.

As California voters head into Tuesday’s primary, the stakes are unusually high. The governor’s race is wide open, the Los Angeles mayoral contest appears volatile, and election officials are now investigating incidents that could further fuel scrutiny of the voting process.