Burned ballots and vandalized voting center prompt investigations ahead of Tuesday's California primary
The two incidents of voting-related vandalism were discovered on Sunday.
Just one day ahead of a crucial California primary election, officials said police have been notified of two possible acts of voter interference after ballots were discovered burned in a drop-off box and a vote center was vandalized.
Both incidents occurred over the weekend, Los Angeles County Registrar and County Clerk Dean C. Logan said in a statement on Sunday.
According to Logan, during routine ballot collection procedures, staff from his department identified a "limited number of Vote by Mail ballots that appeared to have sustained fire-related damage inside an Official Ballot Drop Box."
The damaged ballots were found on Sunday morning in a drop-off box on a sidewalk outside the Civic Center in downtown Los Angeles, he noted.
"Preliminary information indicates the incident was isolated and involved a small number of ballots, as it occurred between the most recent scheduled collection and the following morning's retrieval," Logan said in the statement.
Also on Sunday morning, vandalism was discovered at a voting center in Cesar R. Chavez Park in Long Beach, according to Logan. Election workers and officials responded immediately to the incident, and he said voting operations were not disrupted.
Both incidents were reported to the Los Angeles Police Department. No arrests have been announced.
"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."
Logan said his department is working to identify voters who may have been affected by the two incidents.
Hilda Solis, chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, said that anyone caught vandalizing an election facility or committing other acts to interfere with the election will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
"Voting is a fundamental right, and Los Angeles County remains committed to ensuring every eligible voter can cast a ballot safely and confidently," Solis said in a statement. "Any attempt to vandalize election facilities, damage voting materials, or interfere with the voting process is unacceptable."
Tuesday's California primary includes races for governor, secretary of state, controller, state attorney general and treasurer. California voters will also vote on Proposition 50 to determine if the state will adopt a new congressional map that redraws five districts to be more Democratic-leaning, potentially allowing Democrats to flip them in the midterm election.
Prop 50 is a countermeasure to one in Texas after President Donald Trump urged Texas Republicans to help him find five more Republicans for the U.S. House of Representatives ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The California primary also includes elections for Los Angeles mayor and Los Angeles County Sheriff.
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