Los Angeles Officials Respond To Donald Trumps Video Claim Of Election Misdeeds (Spoiler: It Was All Legal)
Donald Trump tweeted a video Wednesday that he vaguely suggested somehow demonstrated some unspecified election wrongdoing. Without identifying where the video took place, what he believed it showed, or why he thought something was wrong, he queried, “Is this what our country has come to?” Now the county responsible for the ballots in the video has responded, and explained exactly what is shown in that clip.
When Trump shared the clip below, he offered no additional information. He didn’t identify the county, or the timing, or exactly what it is he thinks is depicted in the video.
You are looking at BALLOTS! Is this what our Country has come to? pic.twitter.com/cI2ZTItqUi
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 11, 2020
His fans were left to guess their own reasons for outrage as they tweeted and responded to the video. All that’s clear in the video is that ballots are being picked up, although the person filming says that the race has already been called in their state. A close listener might pick up what appears to be one of the workers saying they’re employed by LA County.
Los Angeles County officials — let’s be clear, that’s in California, where there was never any real question of what the election results would be — have responded, confirming that the video took place there and explaining what it shows.
RE: videos clips of ballots being collected from #LACounty Official Vote by Mail Drop Boxes — Yes, they are ballots; valid, legally cast ballots collected and processed by authorized election officials in accordance with the California Elections Code. #VoteSafe2020 pic.twitter.com/4q4pwmnN9K
— Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk (@LACountyRRCC) November 11, 2020
The Drop Boxes are closed and locked at 8PM on Election Night and then collected the following day. These are valid ballots processed and counted during the post election canvass. Local certification in CA is on Nov 30.
— Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk (@LACountyRRCC) November 11, 2020
The ballots in these drop boxes were collected on Wednesday November 4, immediately following the election, officials explain. The boxes were sealed and locked at 8pm on election day to prevent any late ballots from being slipped in. Counting election day totals first, and absentee and early voting ballots later, is a very typical procedure, carried out the same in many states.
As NBC shows here, Joe Biden took almost two thirds of the vote in California, about half of mail-in ballots requested and returned early were from voters registered as a party other than Democratic, and it’s mathematically untenable that the ballots seen in this video could have flipped the election. There’s no fraud, illegal activity, or wrongdoing shown in the clip.