Trump’s California vote-fraud claims follow slow Los Angeles count

U.S. President Donald Trump is accusing Los Angeles election officials of misconduct after early vote totals in the city’s mayoral race changed as more ballots were counted. Former reality TV personality Spencer Pratt, who had been in second place on election night, fell behind city councillor Nithya Raman in the latest tally. The race is for the second spot in the Nov. 3 runoff, after incumbent Karen Bass already secured a place. California election officials say the process allows mail ballots postmarked by the June 2 primary date to arrive up to seven days later, and counting can take time because many ballots are reviewed after election night. Trump repeated his longrunning claims about election fraud during a Meet the Press interview, but offered no evidence for the allegation. His comments have renewed concern among Democrats that unproven fraud claims could fuel postelection disputes again ahead of the midterms. The article also notes that election researchers and audits have found little evidence of widespread vote manipulation, and that slow counting is common in large, decentralized election systems.