FBI Raids Democratic Megadonor George Soros - Federal Officials Reveal That Agents Were Looking Into Soros-Backed Voter Group'...
COLUMBUS, Ohio — June 17, 2026
Federal investigators with the FBI raided the headquarters of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative on June 11 as part of an ongoing fraud investigation. Agents questioned members across Ohio, sometimes serving subpoenas or seizing electronic devices. Multiple sources told CBS News the operations were part of a fraud-related probe. The Justice Department has not detailed the investigation. A DOJ official stated that search warrants require judicial authorization and that speculation about targets is unfounded, since subjects do not access affidavits until after indictment.
The Ohio Organizing Collaborative is a nonprofit partnering with Democrats in Ohio on voter registration and mobilization, particularly ballot referendums. It reported more than $10 million in revenue in 2024. Funding has included contributions from Soros family philanthropies, the New Venture Fund, the Tides Foundation, and unions such as the American Federation of Teachers and the Service Employees International Union. Between 2019 and 2020 the Soros family’s Foundation to Promote Open Society gave around $1.9 million; the Open Society Action Fund provided $1 million grants in 2021 and 2023 to a sister organization. The group spent $250,000 opposing a GOP effort to block codifying abortion rights in the state constitution and $300,000 on a Republican redistricting initiative.
The raid occurs as the Trump administration has expanded federal probes into alleged voter fraud and election misconduct. Conservatives have supported greater enforcement, while Democrats and voting rights groups have warned it risks turning agencies into political tools against liberal registration efforts. The Ohio Organizing Collaborative has described the actions as politicizing the justice system to intimidate voters and leaders during a contested election. Board member Prentiss Haney said the timing suggested an intent to create a national spectacle without evidence of wrongdoing. The group faced earlier criticism in 2017 when a paid canvasser pleaded guilty to involvement in fraudulent voter registration.
Earlier this year President Donald Trump called for racketeering charges against George Soros and his son Alexander over support for protests and activities he said damaged the country. As the investigation continues, the department emphasizes that assessments of its scope remain premature while the organization asserts its work involves lawful voter engagement.
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.
