Trump claims Democrats are committing ‘BIG cheating’ as California election results trickle in

President Trump is currently claiming that Democrats are engaged in what he calls “BIG cheating” as the state of California continues to work through the slow process of tallying votes, The Hill reported. It is a situation that has once again brought the topic of mail-in ballots to the forefront of the national conversation. As results for various races trickle in across the state, the President has taken to Truth Social to voice his frustrations regarding the timeline of these results.

Early Thursday, the President wrote on Truth Social, “The Dumocrats are at it again! They are trying to STEAL THE GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA PRIMARY, AND THE MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES, PRIMARY, AWAY FROM TWO GREAT REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES.” He also added, “Here we go with the very late and massive numbers of MAIL IN BALLOTS.”

It is clear that the President remains deeply skeptical of the mail-in voting process, which he has frequently criticized in the past. In a separate post on the platform, he went as far as to state that there is BIG cheating happening by the California Democrats. He also noted that the votes are all tied up and may not be in for weeks, while questioning the delay in the counting process by writing, “Why the vote counting DELAY???”

Main-in ballots are once again the point of contention

The President mentioned that these votes are under investigation by the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles, although he did not clarify if he was the specific individual who initiated that request for a probe. This ongoing tension highlights the stark differences in how various stakeholders view the logistics of elections in California. The state typically takes a significant amount of time to finalize its election results due to its specific set of rules, particularly those concerning how mail-in ballots are handled.

The office of Governor Gavin Newsom hit back at the President on social media, claiming that he is “lying about California again.” Governor Newsom has previously expressed concerns about the impact of delayed counting on the public perception of election integrity.

In a letter to county clerks and election officials written last month, the Governor noted, “The longer it takes to count mail-in ballots, the more mis- and disinformation spreads.” He urged officials to prioritize speed and accuracy, stating, “That means we must do all that we can to tabulate votes quickly and accurately. Time is of the essence in preventing election lies from taking hold.”

Understanding why this process takes so long is key to seeing the bigger picture. Under California law, mail-in ballots are valid as long as they are dropped off by 8:00 PM local time, postmarked by election day, and arrive at county election offices by the following Tuesday. Furthermore, state law permits election officials to begin the processing of these ballots as soon as they are returned, which can start as early as 29 days before the election.

This year, that date was May 5. Despite these provisions, the volume of mail-in ballots remains high. Data from the California Secretary of State indicates that as of Monday, more than 4.2 million mail-in ballots had been returned and accepted.

The competitive nature of these races adds another layer of complexity to the situation. According to reports, 56 percent of the vote has been counted in the gubernatorial race. As it stands, Republican candidate Steve Hilton is leading with 27.6 percent of the vote, while Democratic candidate Xavier Becerra follows closely with 25.6 percent. Because the top two candidates will advance to the general election, every single vote is being watched with extreme scrutiny.

This isn’t the first time the President has targeted mail-in voting as a major issue. His history of criticizing the practice is well-documented, and it recently culminated in an executive order signed in March. That order aims to have the federal government establish a list of eligible voters based on citizenship data. It also directs the U.S. Postal Service to ensure that ballots are only delivered to individuals who have been approved.