How a simple mix-up fueled false conspiracies about L.A. vote count
Key takeaways
- Late on election night, an update of vote counts in the Los Angeles mayor’s race appeared on election results pages of various media outlets including the Los Angeles Times.
- It showed leading Democrats Mayor Karen Bass and Councilmember Nithya Raman receiving tens of thousands of new votes, and leading Republican former reality TV star Spencer Pratt receiving no new votes.
- Close observers of the vote tally immediately took screenshots, with some shouting fraud.
A worker puts ballots in a counting machine at the Los Angeles County Ballot Processing Center. (Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times) By Kevin Rector Staff Writer Follow June 5, 2026 6:47 PM PT 10 6 min Click here to listen to this article Share via Close extra sharing options Email Facebook X Linked In Threads Reddit Whats App Copy Link URL Copied! Print 0:00 0:00 1x This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.
Since election night in California, a single theory of election fraud has taken root like no other — not just among online conspiracy theorists or bot accounts, but among major conservative influencers and people close to President Trump.
Late on election night, an update of vote counts in the Los Angeles mayor’s race appeared on election results pages of various media outlets including the Los Angeles Times.