Massive ballot drop in Los Angeles mayoral race saw Republican Spencer Pratt get ZERO votes out of 24,000 ballots delivered.
Los Angeles, California - June 6, 2026
Slow Ballot Counting and Empty Workstations in Los Angeles Raise Serious Questions About Election Integrity
More than four days after the June 2 primary, Los Angeles County continues to struggle with a massive backlog of uncounted ballots, prompting widespread concern over the pace and transparency of the vote-counting process. County officials reported that only 77,521 additional ballots have been processed since election night, leaving an estimated 713,180 ballots still uncounted.
Reporters from the New York Post who visited the county’s 144,000-square-foot ballot processing facility observed dozens of vacant workstations and long rows of empty chairs despite the enormous backlog. In one area where ballots that scanners could not read are reviewed, approximately 25 bins sat ready for processing with no workers seated at the nearby desks. In another section where envelopes are opened and ballots prepared for counting, roughly 75 workers were present in a space that could accommodate more than twice that number.
One of the most striking developments involved a large batch of 24,000 ballots delivered in a recent drop. Republican mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt received zero votes from that entire batch. The outcome has intensified questions about how such a significant number of ballots could produce no support for a major candidate.
California gubernatorial frontrunner Steve Hilton called on Governor Gavin Newsom to create an Emergency Election Count Accelerator Corps, mobilizing additional state personnel to help counties clear backlogs more quickly. Hilton stated that California has become “the laughing stock of the nation when it comes to election reporting,” noting that a state with Silicon Valley and advanced technology should not require a month to count fewer than 10 million ballots.
President Trump posted on Truth Social that Democrats appear to be attempting to “STEAL THE GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA PRIMARY, AND THE MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES PRIMARY” through very late and massive numbers of mail-in ballots.
When asked about the empty workstations, one election center staff member told New York Post reporters not to be “fooled by what you see” but declined to provide further explanation. Los Angeles County spends nearly $336 million annually on its Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s office, which has more than 1,100 budgeted positions and is led by Dean Logan, who earns $448,179 per year.
In sharp contrast, other states that held elections on the same day have nearly completed their counts. New Jersey has reported roughly 93 percent of ballots counted, while New Mexico and Montana are approaching 98 percent. Los Angeles County has more than 5.8 million registered voters, larger than the populations of most U.S. states.
The combination of visible understaffing, extremely slow processing, and unusual results in large ballot drops has fueled growing demands for greater accountability and faster, more transparent vote counting in America’s largest county.
Hakeem Jeffries Panics - He Just Lost A WAVE of House Seats Intensifies
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries issued a sharp public rebuke against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis following the governor's announcement of a special legislative session to redraw Florida’s congressional district boundaries, a strategic move expected to yield four additional seats for Republicans in the United States House of Representatives.
Governor DeSantis defended the mid-decade redistricting initiative by asserting that Florida was shortchanged in the 2020 Census relative to its explosive population growth over recent years. DeSantis emphasized that registered Republicans now hold a 1.5 million voter advantage across the Sunshine State, arguing that the existing district boundaries rely on unconstitutional racial classifications rather than geographic and demographic reality.
"The new map will more fairly reflect Florida’s current population makeup and fulfill our commitment to mid-decade adjustments."
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stated during his official announcement of the special session.
Representative Jeffries quickly pushed back against the plan, characterizing the proposed congressional map as a partisan overreach that could ultimately backfire on state Republicans during upcoming election cycles.
"It is a 'DeSantis Dummymander'. Florida Republicans pursuing this redistricting will end up in the exact same situation as Texas Republicans, whom I describe as being on the run. They are dummymandering their way into the minority before a single vote is cast."
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries declared in response to the governor's redistricting strategy.
In a swift counter-response, Governor DeSantis dismissed the minority leader's warnings, inviting the New York Democrat to travel to Florida to campaign personally against the proposed boundary adjustments.
"I invite Leader Jeffries to campaign in Florida. I would be happy to host him at the governor’s mansion and take him fishing. Having Jeffries campaign across the state will only benefit Republicans because Florida voters will soundly reject the ideology being presented."
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stated during a subsequent media press conference.
The redistricting battle in Florida unfolds amidst a broader national struggle for control of the House of Representatives, where state-level map adjustments across the country could determine the congressional majority. The Supreme Court of the United States recently lifted a lower court injunction that had temporarily blocked a new congressional map in Texas, a decision that could potentially add five Republican seats to the lower chamber.
Conversely, California’s pending redistricting plans are projected to yield five additional seats for Democrats, while Virginia’s congressional map remains subject to ongoing legal challenges before the state Supreme Court over constitutional boundary concerns. As both major political parties adjust their national strategies, mid-decade redistricting initiatives in key states continue to reshape the legislative landscape ahead of the upcoming congressional elections.
49–50 VOTE — Lone Democrat Saves Trump From Senate Defeat
The Senate narrowly rejected another attempt Thursday to restrict President Donald Trump’s authority to continue U.S. military operations against Iran without explicit congressional authorization, as a small group of Republicans joined Democrats in challenging the administration’s handling of the conflict.
The Senate voted 49-50 against the war powers resolution, falling just short of adopting a measure that had previously cleared the House.
The resolution would have directed Trump to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities involving Iran unless Congress specifically authorized continued military action through a declaration of war or an authorization for use of military force.
Four Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Thom Tillis of North Carolina — joined Democrats in supporting the measure.
Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the only Democrat to oppose it, while Democratic Sen. Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland did not vote.
The 1973 War Powers Resolution was enacted after the Vietnam War in an effort to constrain presidents from maintaining prolonged military engagements without congressional authorization.
But multiple adminstrations since have claimed the act is an unconstitutional restraint on the president’s role as commander-in-chief.
Most Senate Republicans remained opposed to the measure, arguing that restricting the president while U.S. forces remain engaged against Iran could undermine American military operations and negotiating leverage.
The vote comes as the Iran war approaches its seventh month and as concerns about the conflict have increasingly spilled into the November midterm campaigns.
Rising gasoline and diesel prices have intensified the political debate, particularly in competitive congressional races.
Some Republican candidates who previously supported Trump’s handling of Iran have recently called for the conflict to end quickly.
Republican Senate candidates Mike Rogers in Michigan and Ashley Hinson in Iowa both called this week for a swift conclusion to the war, citing its effect on American energy prices and household costs. Hinson had previously voted multiple times against House efforts to restrict Trump’s war powers.
Thursday’s vote was the latest in a long series of congressional attempts to impose limits on the administration’s military campaign.
The Senate has considered 14 Iran-related war powers resolutions since the United States and Israel began military operations against Iran in February, according to reports.
Congressional critics of the war argue that the Constitution gives Congress, rather than the president, the authority to declare war and that months of sustained hostilities require explicit legislative approval.
The Pentagon has estimated the war has cost approximately $42 billion, according to Stars and Stripes. At least 19 American service members have been killed and more than 750 injured during the conflict, Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., said during Thursday’s debate.
Republicans supporting Trump have argued that the president possesses sufficient authority as commander in chief to conduct the military campaign and that congressional restrictions could interfere with efforts to force Iran into negotiations.
Trump has continued to publicly defend the war.
During his address to the United Nations General Assembly this week, the president argued that military action had prevented Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and called on other countries to increase economic pressure on Iran.
Trump also said he believes an agreement with Tehran remains possible, while warning that the United States could dramatically escalate military action if diplomacy fails.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Wednesday that Tehran remained open to a diplomatic resolution but would not negotiate under military threats.
Thursday’s Senate vote followed another significant congressional challenge to Trump’s Iran policy.
The House passed a similar war powers measure last week by a 220-204 vote, with seven Republicans joining Democrats. That vote represented the third time the House had voted to end U.S. participation in the Iran conflict.
