Election Integrity Concerns Raised by Trump
President Donald Trump has expressed doubts about the integrity of elections in California, claiming that Democrats are attempting to “steal” the results through mail-in ballots.
On Tuesday, primary elections were held in several states, with many results already becoming apparent. However, outcomes in California, known as the Golden State, are still uncertain and might take weeks to clarify.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump alleged that California Democrats were trying to manipulate the election results unlawfully.
“The Dumocrats are at it again! They are trying to STEAL THE GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA PRIMARY, AND THE MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES PRIMARY, AWAY FROM TWO GREAT REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES,” he stated.
“Here we go with the very late and massive numbers of MAIL IN BALLOTS,” he added.
As of Thursday morning, with 56% of California’s nonpartisan gubernatorial primary votes counted, Republican candidate Steve Hilton leads with over 1.4 million votes, approximately 27.6%. He is followed closely by Democrat candidates, with Xavier Becerra at about 1.3 million votes (25.6%) and billionaire Tom Steyer at roughly 1 million votes (19.8%), according to reports.
In another closely monitored race, incumbent Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass holds a lead with 35%, while television personality Spencer Pratt and Councilmember Nithya Raman trail behind with 29.9% and 22.8%, respectively, according to the same reports.
The California Secretary of State’s office noted that all active registered voters were automatically sent mail-in ballots for Tuesday’s elections. Voters could either return ballots by mail, drop them off, or vote in person at polling places.
Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by the election date and be received within seven days. Election officials can take about a month to count and certify the results.
A recently enacted state law aims to reduce ballot counting time, allowing officials until the 13th day after an election to finish counting votes, with some exceptions. Officials may seek extensions if they can’t meet this deadline, and the final results are set to be certified by July 10, following the election.
In another post on Wednesday, Trump continued to accuse Democrats of wrongful conduct, highlighting that the prolonged counting period is currently under investigation.
“There’s BIG cheating by the Dumocrats in California. Votes are all tied up. May not be in for weeks. Under investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles. Why the vote counting DELAY???” he questioned.
The press office for California Governor Gavin Newsom appeared to refute Trump’s claims on social media.
“Trump is lying about California again — time to take the phone away from grandpa and put him to sleep,” it said.
