A Justice Department official in Los Angeles refuted claims circulating on social media regarding discrepancies in the vote count for the city’s mayoral race. The claims, promoted by various figures on social media, including Elon Musk, suggested that Republican candidate Spencer Pratt received no new votes during an election night update. First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli stated that official county records show that all candidates received votes in every update.
Pratt ran against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and City Councilwoman Nithya Raman in the primary election. CNN reported that Bass is projected to advance to the general election, but the competition between Pratt and Raman remains unclear as votes are still being counted.
The Associated Press clarified that there was a delay in vote updates, which led to Pratt appearing to gain zero votes in one update while other candidates received thousands. The AP noted that Pratt's votes were included in a subsequent update.
Trump has suggested that the slow vote count indicates election fraud, drawing parallels to the 2020 election. Essayli also mentioned that investigations into potential election fraud are ongoing. California's election process allows mail ballots to be counted up to seven days after the election, contributing to the delayed reporting of results. As of the latest update, Raman has gained ground on Pratt, reducing his lead significantly.
