A Flood of Ballots': California Elections Turned Upside Down After Disturbing Video Leaks
Los Angeles, California - June 4, 2026
Republicans have surged in the race for California governor and the Los Angeles mayoral contest while overperforming across much of the state. However, the final results remain uncertain as election officials continue processing a large volume of mail ballots that are expected to arrive over the coming days and weeks.
NBC News chief data analyst Steve Kornacki warned viewers that the late-arriving mail ballots, which often lean heavily Democratic, could significantly alter current leads.
“Remember, the final piece of the puzzle that we won’t know tonight, right, is the late arriving vote by mail,” Kornacki said. “And we’re talking about probably like a third of the vote in Los Angeles. We’re probably not going to be getting until tomorrow and maybe days to come after tomorrow.”
Kornacki noted that this late mail vote is “going to be significantly more Democratic friendly than all of the other vote, meaning that would be good news for Bass” in the Los Angeles mayoral race and for other Democratic candidates trailing on Election Night.
New Lawsuit Targets California’s Voter Roll Maintenance
Separately, a lawsuit filed against California Secretary of State Shirley Weber alleges that the state has failed to remove hundreds of thousands of inactive voter registrations from its rolls in violation of federal law. Plaintiffs claim that approximately 873,092 inactive registrations remain on the books despite requirements under the National Voter Registration Act.
The complaint further alleges that more than 151,000 registrations stayed active even after voters failed to participate in four consecutive federal election cycles and did not respond to address verification notices. California currently maintains over 23 million registered voters, the largest system in the nation.
Federal law requires states to clean voter rolls by removing registrations that have been inactive through multiple election cycles. The lawsuit argues that California has not properly enforced these standards, creating opportunities for error, duplication, and potential fraud.
In 2019, Judicial Watch reached a settlement with California and Los Angeles County that resulted in the removal of more than 1.2 million inactive names. Plaintiffs contend that problems have persisted since then. Court filings note that 20 California counties removed 50 or fewer inactive registrations in a recent period, even as census data showed substantial out-migration from the state.
Republican Momentum Meets Structural Challenges
The combination of extended ballot counting and questions over voter roll accuracy has added tension to an election season already marked by Republican gains in traditionally Democratic strongholds. California officials maintain that multiple safeguards protect the integrity of the voting process.
Supporters of the lawsuit argue that accurate voter rolls are fundamental to public confidence in elections. The case comes as Republicans celebrate stronger-than-expected showings but face the reality that a large share of remaining ballots historically favors Democratic candidates.
The outcome of both the statewide and Los Angeles races may not be known for days or weeks as officials continue processing late mail ballots under intense scrutiny.
Nearly 150,000 California Mail Ballots Rejected In Primary
California election officials are examining why nearly 150,000 mail-in ballots were rejected during the state’s June primary, with late-arriving ballots accounting for most of the increase.
The higher rejection rate comes despite years of election law changes designed to make voting more accessible and ensure more ballots are ultimately counted.
According to data compiled by the California Secretary of State’s office, 148,241 mail-in ballots were rejected during the June primary, representing 1.73% of all mail ballots returned.
That marks an increase from the 2024 primary, when 108,982 ballots were rejected, or 1.56% of all mail ballots cast.
The largest reason for rejection was ballots arriving too late to qualify under California law.
State data shows that 93,479 ballots were rejected because they failed to meet the state’s deadline requirements.
California allows mail ballots to arrive up to seven days after Election Day, provided they are postmarked on or before Election Day.
Voting experts believe many of the rejected ballots received postmarks dated after Election Day, making them ineligible to be counted even if they arrived within the seven-day grace period.
Kim Alexander, president of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation, said the timing of postal processing appears to be a significant concern.
“Ballots rejected due to lateness are caused primarily to being postmarked too late to count, not because they arrived too late to count,” Alexander said.
Election experts have questioned whether recent operational changes within the U.S. Postal Service may be contributing to delayed postmarks.
Earlier this year, a group of mostly Democratic U.S. senators wrote to the Postal Service expressing concern that mail-processing changes could affect ballot handling during federal elections.
Updated Postal Service procedures mean postmarks may reflect when mail is processed at regional facilities rather than when it first enters the mail system.
Because processing centers have been consolidated in some areas, election officials have warned that postmark timing could be affected.
Before the June primary, California election officials encouraged voters to mail ballots as early as possible because of potential postal delays.
The June election also featured a highly competitive race for governor, which some experts believe encouraged many voters to wait until the final days before casting ballots.
In addition to late-arriving ballots, approximately 44,000 ballots were rejected because election officials determined the voter’s signature did not match the signature on file.
Another 8,300 ballots were rejected because the return envelope did not contain a signature.
State records also show that 743 ballots were rejected because those voters had already cast another ballot.
Other rejected ballots involved missing ballots inside return envelopes or multiple ballots submitted in a single envelope.
The highest rejection rate in the state occurred in Tulare County, where 3.52% of returned mail ballots were rejected.
Alpine County and Merced County followed closely, each recording rejection rates of 3.36%.
California has frequently faced criticism for taking weeks to complete vote counting after major elections, largely because state law permits ballots meeting certain requirements to continue arriving after Election Day.
Following the June primary, President Donald Trump again criticized California’s election system, while the Department of Justice opened an investigation into election administration in Los Angeles County.
Election experts emphasize that the increase in rejected ballots should not be interpreted as evidence of widespread voter fraud.
A 2025 report by the Brookings Institution found documented cases of mail ballot fraud remained extremely rare, estimating roughly four cases for every 10 million mail ballots cast, The Associated Press reported.
State officials have not identified evidence of widespread fraud connected to the June primary, but the increase in rejected ballots is expected to receive additional scrutiny as election administrators evaluate whether changes in postal operations, voter behavior or election procedures contributed to the higher rejection rate.
