Pratt questions how votes get counted in California as lead over Raman shrinks
Spencer Pratt, a Los Angeles mayoral primary contender, challenged California’s vote-counting process after his lead over Councilwoman Nithya Raman narrowed to under 10,000 votes on Saturday night. As of about 11:30 p.m., Pratt had 27.3% of the vote compared with Raman’s 26.2%, with roughly 77% of expected ballots counted.
Pratt posted on X criticizing how votes are counted in Los Angeles, after a DOJ official had debunked a viral claim that he received zero new votes in an update. The article notes that California results frequently enough take longer to finalize as mail ballots must be reviewed and verified before certification.
The top two-Bass and Raman-advance to a Nov. 3 runoff against Karen Bass, the incumbent backed by gov. Gavin Newsom. Pratt, a former reality TV figure running as a Republican, has also accused Bass of contributing to events like the burning of his house during the January 2025 wildfires.
Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt questioned California’s vote-counting system for the first time Saturday night as his lead over Councilwoman Nithya Raman shrank.
Pratt, who is competing against Raman in the primary to challenge Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, held a less than 10,000-vote lead over Raman as of Saturday night, after leading by about 40,000 votes on Wednesday morning.
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As of 11:30 p.m., Pratt had received 27.3% of the vote, and Raman received 26.2%, with 77.% of the expected vote having been counted.
Pratt responded to the narrowing margin in a post on X with the caption, “Me trying to figure out how votes get counted in LA.”
The comment comes one day after a Los Angeles-based Department of Justice official debunked a claim circulating on social media that Pratt received zero new votes in a vote-count update. The claim had been amplified by Elon Musk, and President Donald Trump has long raised concerns about mail-in voting and election fraud.
The top two finishers in the primary advance to a Nov. 3 runoff against Bass, who secured a spot on Wednesday.
California’s election results often take longer to finalize because of the state’s widespread use of mail-in voting. Election officials must review and verify mailed ballots, including some that arrive days later, before certifying the results.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli announced Saturday night the creation of an election fraud tipline, noting that “people have been contacting our office wanting to provide information.” He said to report potential election fraud if “a ballot arrived at your home for someone who has never lived there, you were told someone already voted in your name, or you witnessed someone filling out ballots for others without their knowledge.”
Raman received twice as many votes as Pratt on Friday.
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Bass was elected mayor in 2022 and has been endorsed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA). Raman is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America who serves Los Angeles’ 4th district.
Pratt, a former reality TV star, has held Bass responsible for his house being burned down during the Southern California wildfires of January 2025. The Republican has surged in popularity in recent months despite long-standing skepticism that a non-Democratic candidate could win an election in a city as left-leaning as Los Angeles.
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