California mail‑in ballot controversy sparks claims of fraud

California’s election rules permit ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted for up to a week after the vote and do not require voter identification. All registered voters receive mail‑in ballots, a practice the state shares with eight other states. Election analyst Jay Valentine asserts that “elections are stolen with mail‑in ballots to eligible voters at ineligible addresses collected by NGOs … and voted after the election for their candidate,” blaming outdated voter rolls and a lack of data syncing. Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton described the system as “absolutely shameful for our state,” saying late‑arriving ballots consistently favor Democratic candidates and pledging to restrict mail‑in voting to emergencies and require ballots be received by Election Day. The Save America Act, which would tighten voter ID and registration requirements, has not passed the Senate. The debate intensified after Los Angeles mayoral and governor races showed significant shifts as late mail‑in ballots were counted, prompting criticism that the process makes California a “national and an international laughingstock.”