Skid Row residents were allegedly being paid to vote in the Los Angeles mayoral race, according to multiple reports, raising questions about California’s election integrity.
Several local reporters have documented homeless people alleging they were paid anywhere from $2 to $4 to vote for Democratic mayoral incumbent Karen Bass or progressive councilwoman Nithya Rama, both of whom advanced to the November general election. (RELATED: ‘They’re Crooked’: Spencer Pratt’s Bruising Mayoral Loss Raises Election Integrity Concerns)
Investigative reporter James O’Keefe uncovered some of the apparent fraud when one of his undercover journalists went to Skid Row and captured election petitioners urging homeless people to forge names, addresses, and signatures of registered voters for just a few dollars, the Daily Caller previously reported this past March.
CALIFORNIA ELECTIONS FRAUD CASH FOR BALLOTS PART I: Homeless Bribed with Cash & Drugs In Exchange For Registering To Vote & Signing Election Petitions Caught On Tape Undercover On Skid Row In California.
“You can just put Pinocchio Lane.”
California NGOs Encourage Fake… pic.twitter.com/2pkylhgPY9
— James O’Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) March 17, 2026
Another local, @LANeedsSpencerPratt, posted several videos interviewing Skid Row residents who also alleged they were paid to cast ballots.
One homeless woman claims she was paid $2 to vote for Bass, saying the electioneers had her “sign the little thing” and that they “come out here all the time.” Another homeless man said he was originally offered $2, but he negotiated to $4 to vote after he was instructed to vote for Bass. (RELATED: California Faces Election Fraud Investigations Amid Major Vote Count Delays)
Election fraud in Los Angeles has been on the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) radar. A California woman named Brenda Lee Brown Armstrong was charged with one felony count of paying another person to register to vote after she was caught paying people on Skid Row. Armstrong was a longtime signature collector for ballot initiatives in the area, according to the DOJ press release.
“False registrations undermine Americans’ faith in elections – even more so when payoffs are involved,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon. “This Justice Department is committed to ensuring that all U.S. elections are fair and free from illegal meddling – so that all Americans can accept the results with confidence.”
Despite being positioned in second place for nearly a week after the June 2 primary, Republican candidate Spencer Pratt fell to third place and was eliminated from the November 3 ballot on June 8. The sudden overtaking of Pratt, who finished with 26 percent of the vote, by progressive councilwoman Nithya Raman has led to increasing allegations of possible election fraud. Raman will face off against Bass on the November 3 general election ballot.
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