Justice Department sends observer to Los Angeles ballot center as primary results remain incomplete

A spokesperson for the county registrar-recorder’s office, Mike Sanchez, told CNN the individual arrived Friday morning, received an overview of the public observation program, and participated in a walkthrough of operations.

Vote tallies remain incomplete Three days after the June 2 primary, an estimated 60 percent of ballots had been counted in the governor’s race. Steve Hilton and Xavier Becerra led, while Tom Steyer trailed. In the Los Angeles mayoral race, Karen Bass secured a runoff spot on Tuesday.

Spencer Pratt led Nithya Raman with 65 percent of votes counted. State law requires counties to finish counting most ballots by June 15, though mail-in ballots postmarked by election day and received by June 9 may be processed later.

Millions of ballots still outstanding The California secretary of state’s office reported 3,606,128 ballots remain to be processed statewide. Secretary of State Shirley Weber stated county officials are working to ensure accuracy and preserve the integrity of every vote.

Experts noted that later-counted ballots tend to favor Democratic candidates because Republicans more often vote early or in person. President Trump stated on Thursday that the Department of Justice would investigate and accused the state of election rigging.

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office posted that the state prioritizes accuracy over speed and wished votes could be counted faster. State Assemblymember Marc Berman said Trump’s comments were disappointing and called them a lie. Steve Hilton posted on X that the counting process was another shambles but added his campaign had seen nothing indicating a need to go to court.

Several congressional races also remain too close to call, including California’s sixth district where Kevin Kiley leads.