The U.S. Department of Justice has launched several investigations into alleged election fraud, amid ongoing criticism of California officials for their slow vote counting process.
Bill Esseri, assistant attorney general for Central California, refrained from commenting on specific claims. On Friday, he shared on social media that his office is collaborating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to conduct “multiple election fraud investigations.”
“We will investigate and prosecute. Every legal vote deserves to be counted. Every illegal vote invalidates one,” Esseri emphasized.
He further stated, “Protecting the integrity of California’s elections is a top priority for my office.” Esseri noted that there are significant structural issues within California’s election system, including the universal mail-in voting system that lacks voter ID requirements, which he believes facilitates undetected fraud and damages public trust.
As officials continue to count votes, the results of two major elections in California remain pending. There have been accusations against Democrats for dragging out the process, supposedly to make room for fraud. Others argue that the state’s election laws emphasize voter access, albeit at the cost of timely results.
“We will pursue evidence wherever it leads and prosecute violations of federal election law to the fullest extent possible,” Esseri pledged.
Candidates in the Los Angeles mayoral and California gubernatorial races are anxiously waiting for preliminary results. Currently, it appears that Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton and mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt are likely to advance, though the channel for the third-place Democratic candidate is narrowing as more votes come in.
Esseri also mentioned efforts to simplify the process of auditing voter registrations. He criticized the state for obstructing attempts to ensure that only eligible U.S. citizens can register to vote, noting that this issue is currently under the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Video footage from Los Angeles County’s vote counting center showed staff from the U.S. attorney general’s office overseeing the ballot counting process.
Esseri concluded, “My office will not turn a blind eye. We will investigate and prosecute. Every legal vote must be counted, and all illegal votes will be invalidated.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom mentioned his own wish for quicker vote counts, stating, “For the record, we too wish the votes were counted faster.”
Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a brief statement, mentioning that his office is actively monitoring the situation to protect voters and uphold compliance with election laws.
