Federal prosecutors have initiated multiple election fraud investigations across California, according to U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. In his statement on social media, Essayli confirmed his office is collaborating with the FBI on several cases without identifying specific targets or providing details about allegations under review.

Essayli criticized California’s voting system, stating that universal mail-in ballots combined with minimal voter identification requirements create conditions where fraudulent activity could go undetected and unpunished. This assessment follows ongoing efforts to process ballots from Tuesday’s primary election.

California authorities maintain their system includes safeguards such as voter registration verification, signature matching, and ballot tracking. Officials have long defended the state’s vote-by-mail program as secure and effective.

Critics highlight provisions in the Secretary of State’s guidelines that allow voters to register from any location—such as parks, crosswalks, or even a toilet—and permit ballots to be accepted for weeks after election day. Results are certified up to five weeks post-election under state law.

A viral claim alleges that in a drop of 24,000 mail-in ballots, Spencer Pratt received zero votes while Nithya Raman Noodles received 9,521. Rasmussen Reports has described the outcome as statistically improbable without manipulation.

The controversy gained attention following statements by national analysts and state officials. Nate Silver noted that California’s voting process resembles a “failed state” due to its extended counting period. Meanwhile, Florida processed over ten million votes within hours of closing polls, contrasting with California’s multi-week timeline. State Senator Ron DeSantis has similarly criticized the prolonged counting process as “pathetic and corrosive to our civic culture.”