A top federal prosecutor in California has opened multiple election‑fraud investigations into the state’s voting system, marking a significant escalation in federal scrutiny as ballot counting continues across the state. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli confirmed Friday that his office is pursuing several active probes in coordination with the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, citing what he described as “serious structural vulnerabilities” in California’s universal vote‑by‑mail system.
Essayli stated publicly that his office is also working with Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon on a comprehensive audit of California’s voter rolls, a matter currently pending before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. According to federal filings referenced in recent reporting, the Justice Department previously sought access to extensive voter‑roll data, a request a federal judge later dismissed as “unprecedented and illegal.”
The investigations come as California continues its legally mandated, weeks‑long ballot‑counting process. State law allows ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted and permits same‑day voter registration, resulting in extended tabulation periods. Federal officials confirmed that at least one DOJ attorney was dispatched to the Los Angeles County ballot‑processing center on Friday to observe operations, a move that state officials say they are monitoring closely.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said his office has “a presence on the ground” and is prepared to ensure state election laws are followed. Governor Gavin Newsom’s office criticized Essayli for publicly discussing ongoing investigations while ballots were still being counted, calling the disclosure inconsistent with standard prosecutorial practice.
The announcement follows a series of unsubstantiated claims by President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly alleged that California’s slow vote count indicates fraud. Federal prosecutors have not identified any specific allegations underlying the new investigations, and no evidence of widespread fraud has been presented.
Local election officials emphasized that ballot processing remains open to public observation and that federal observers were given a standard walkthrough of the Los Angeles County facility. They reiterated that accuracy, not speed, governs California’s vote‑counting timeline.
Sources
- News Channel 3‑12
- Yahoo News
- NBC News
- POLITICO
- FOX 11 Los Angeles
- USA Today
- Associated Press