California law allows mail‑in ballots to arrive up to seven days after Election Day, and those late ballots have propelled Councilmember Nithya Raman upward in the Los Angeles mayoral primary. Early returns briefly suggested Republican Spencer Pratt might reach the top two, but recent counting shows him slipping to third. Conservative commentators and some national figures have alleged fraud, while polls and voting patterns indicate late mail ballots tend to favor younger, left‑leaning voters in heavily Democratic Los Angeles.
Late Mail Ballots Boost Nithya Raman, Trigger Conspiracy Claims After L.A. Mayoral Primary
Mail-in ballots continue to be tallied in the Los Angeles mayoral primary because California law allows ballots to be received up to seven days after Election Day and requires verification before counting. That normal, post‑Election Day counting has produced a late surge for City Councilmember Nithya Raman, a progressive Democrat challenging incumbent Mayor Karen Bass.
Early returns had reality TV figure and Republican Spencer Pratt in contention for a second‑place finish, which would have advanced him to the November general election under California’s top‑two “jungle” primary rules. But additional mail and provisional returns in the days after Election Day moved Raman upward and showed Pratt falling into a distant third.
Political reaction: The late shift prompted sharp criticism and allegations of fraud from some conservative influencers and commentators beyond Los Angeles. On X, one account described the returns as showing “insane levels of fraud,” and Republican Congressman Abe Hamadeh publicly called the outcome “the steal is blatant.” Elon Musk amplified those claims on social platforms, and former President Donald Trump posted that the race was “a rigged election.”
Election context: Those accusations run counter to the pre‑election picture: the final public polls before Election Day showed Bass and Raman leading the field. Election officials emphasize that the seven‑day receipt window and the verification process are standard, and that late‑arriving mail ballots historically skew toward younger and more left‑leaning voters — a pattern that is especially likely in a heavily Democratic city like Los Angeles.
What Happens Next
Officials will continue to verify and count ballots until the statutory deadline, then certify the results. If the current trend holds, the runoff will feature the two top finishers (likely both Democrats). Any credible allegations of misconduct would be investigated by the appropriate election authorities; as of this writing, no verified evidence of systemic fraud has been presented.
Note: California’s top‑two primary advances the two candidates with the most votes to the general election, regardless of party.
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