US, Los Angeles: Downtown Los Angeles LA County Election Officials Investigating Ballot Damage at Civic Center Drop Box.

Los Angeles, United States - May 31, 2026 05/31/2026 12:00 am GMT-0700 DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES, LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Los Angeles County election officials are investigating two separate incidents involving election infrastructure days before the June 2 election, including vandalism at a vote center and damage to a small number of mail ballots found in an official ballot drop box. Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean C. Logan said Saturday that the county is reviewing both incidents and emphasized that any attempts to interfere with voting or election operations will be met with enforcement action. The first incident involved vandalism discovered Sunday morning at a vote center located at Cesar E. Chavez Park. Election workers responded immediately, and voting operations continued without disruption, according to county officials. In a separate incident, county staff conducting routine ballot collection identified a limited number of vote-by-mail ballots that appeared to have sustained fire-related damage inside an official ballot drop box at the Department of Public Social Services Civic Center. Election officials said preliminary information suggests the incident was isolated and affected a small number of ballots collected between a scheduled retrieval and the following morning’s collection. The Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s office has filed a report with the Los Angeles Police Department and said it will cooperate fully with any investigation into the cause of the damage. County officials are reviewing both incidents and working to identify any voters who may have been affected. Voters whose ballots were potentially damaged will be contacted directly and informed about available options, including replacement ballots if necessary. “Our responsibility is to protect voters and ensure every eligible voter has the opportunity to cast a ballot,” Logan said in a statement. “Any attempt to interfere with voting or election operations is taken seriously.” Los Angeles County Board Chair and First District Supervisor Hilda Solis said election officials remain committed to ensuring voters can cast ballots safely and securely. “Any attempt to vandalize election facilities, damage voting materials, or interfere with the voting process is unacceptable,” Solis said. County officials noted that state and federal laws impose criminal penalties for intentionally tampering with ballots, election materials, voting equipment or election facilities. The county encouraged voters to report suspicious activity involving election materials, voting operations or election facilities to the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s office.