Ballots Burned, Vote Center Vandalized Day Before Los Angeles Mayoral Race
Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder officials stated Sunday that two incidents of attempted election interference may have occurred in Long Beach and elsewhere before the June 2 primary election.
The county registrar-recorder said the burned votes were found during the normal collection of ballots at an official ballot 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.
The fire occurred somewhere between the last ballot pickup Saturday and the first ballot pickup Sunday and included a “small number” of ballots, officials said.
Vandalism was discovered Sunday morning at the voting center in Long Beach’s Cesar E. Chavez Park.
The county registrar-recorder’s office said election workers responded and voting operations were uninterrupted.
The county registrar-recorder said that it is “carefully reviewing both incidents and working to identify any voters who may have been affected.”
Voters who were affected by the fire will be contacted individually and given instructions on how to vote again.
“Replacement ballots are possible,” remarked the county registrar-recorder.
The county registrar-recorder has filed reports with the LAPD in the wake of the incidents.
Los Angeles County Clerk Dean Logan issued a statement Sunday alerting the public that attempts to interfere with voters, damage election infrastructure, or vandalize polling facilities “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.