Investigations underway after Los Angeles County voting center vandalized, mail-in ballots burned
Two investigations were launched on Sunday after a Los Angeles County voting center was vandalized and a mail-in ballot box was burned, according to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.
In a news release, Los Angeles County officials said that early Sunday morning, vandalism was found at the Jenny Oropeza Community Center voting location at Cesar E. Chavez Park, located in the 400 block of Golden Avenue in Long Beach. Officials said that election workers quickly responded and that voting operations were not disrupted.
In addition, Los Angeles County staff said a "limited number of Vote by Mail ballots" appeared to have sustained fire-related damage inside a ballot drop box at the Department of Public Social Services-Civic Center, located at E. 4th Place in Los Angeles.
"Preliminary information indicates the incident was isolated and involved a small number of ballots, as it occurred between the most recent scheduled collection and the following morning's retrieval," the news release said.
The Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean C. Logan said the department is reviewing both incidents and working to identify voters who may have been affected. Officials said the voters will be directly contacted and given information on other voting options, including replacement ballots.
They said reports have been filed with the Los Angeles Police Department.
"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. We will continue working closely with law enforcement and other partners to safeguard the voting process and ensure voters can participate with confidence."
Logan also said in the news release that attempts to disrupt voting, damage election infrastructure, interfere with other voters or vandalize election facilities "will not be tolerated" and that "full enforcement of prohibitions" will be pursued.
On Tuesday, with voting in the primary elections well underway, Long Beach city officials shared a statement with CBS LA.
"The Long Beach Police Department is investigating the vandalism, which included a small section of an exterior storage room window that was broken. There is currently no information indicating that the vandalism was related to voting," the release said, in part. "The Vote Center and Ballot Drop Box remain open and fully operational. The incident did not interfere with any voting operations, did not damage any election infrastructure and does not impede any voter's ability to cast a ballot—whether in-person or by vote by mail ballot drop box. Residents can still vote with confidence at this location."
Anyone who notices suspicious activity regarding election materials, facilities or voting operations was urged to contact the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk at 800-815-2666, option 2.
