Examining Claims of Voter Fraud in the Los Angeles Mayoral Election

Since the recent Los Angeles mayoral primary, conspiracy claims have emerged on social media regarding Spencer Pratt’s exit from the race. An early rumor stated Pratt received zero votes on election night, which the U.S. attorney’s office debunked promptly. Now, speculation suggests ballots from homeless individuals contributed to his defeat, with little evidence to support such claims.

One TikTok user uploaded interviews with three supposed Skid Row residents. They claimed they were paid to vote for Mayor Karen Bass, who advanced to the runoff with Councilmember Nithya Raman. Pratt, who initially led against Raman, fell to third place as more votes were counted. During interviews, a woman said she received $5 to vote for Bass, however, L.A. County election officials highlighted discrepancies in her claim, noting her registration in Inglewood, a different city.

Alex Stack, a spokesman for Bass’s campaign, dismissed accusations of vote-buying as “absurd,” likening them to false election misinformation seen in prior political contexts. Times reporters attempted to locate the interviewees but were unsuccessful. Experts argued even if individual cases existed, they wouldn’t alter the election’s outcome. Christopher R. Hallenbrook, a political science professor, emphasized that minor voting irregularities can’t significantly change results in an election involving over 750,000 votes. Rick Hasen from UCLA agreed, noting the financial and logistical impracticality of such a vast conspiracy.

To understand the broader voting dynamics in Skid Row, Times journalists interviewed 20 residents about the election. Most claimed they weren’t approached to vote for specific candidates and were unaware of the allegations. A resident, identified only as Kimberly, reacted with disbelief to the stories, expressing unwillingness to accept monetary influence in voting.

Michele Brewster, another resident, mentioned the absence of campaign activities targeting the homeless community. Some residents had seen efforts to gather signatures for ballot petitions, offering money to homeless individuals for participation. A few reported signing using various names in exchange for small amounts.

This week’s events come in the wake of a Justice Department announcement regarding a plea deal involving voter registration fraud linked to Skid Row. An individual acknowledged paying residents to sign ballot petitions using her address to register voters, a requirement by California law.

Despite conspiracy theories, L.A. election authorities emphasize stringent measures to verify voter registration and mail-in ballot integrity. Allegations by some political figures, linking these activities to large-scale voter fraud, remain unfounded. An investigation is underway into registered voters at homeless shelters, prompted by reports of potential discrepancies between registered voter numbers and shelter capacities.

People experiencing homelessness have the right to vote. They can use shelters or intersections as their voting address. Mike Sanchez, a county recorder’s office spokesman, advised against comparing shelter bed counts with voter registration figures, highlighting that records don’t specify a person’s residency status. Efforts to register unhoused individuals for voting should be seen positively to ensure electoral participation for all citizens.

Sandhya Kambhampati from The Times contributed additional insights to this coverage.