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LA voting debacle reflects a democracy in crisis

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Half of America is watching LA count its votes with a sense of déjà vu: The spectacle of a candidate who is leading on election night, suddenly falling behind when mail-in ballots are counted, is what caused many to regard the 2020 election as fraudulent.

There was no proof of fraud then, just as there is no proof in LA; but the process does not inspire confidence. The fact that we are being told — by incumbents — that everything is OK only deepens the suspicion.

It was always possible — as I had said before Election Day — that socialist Nithya Raman would take second place, ahead of Pacific Palisades fire survivor Spencer Pratt.

I used an analogy from auto racing: Raman was “drafting” off Pratt, letting him do the tough work of attacking incumbent Karen Bass, and take all the attacks in return, then scooping up voters who decided they could not reelect Bass, but would not vote for a Trump-like Republican.

Yet, assuming that Raman does qualify for the general election ahead of Pratt, it would have been better to know that on election night — not several days after the fact. 

More From Joel Pollak

California: The high-tech society that can’t (or won’t) count ballots

The shock tactics Steve Hilton and Spencer Pratt will need to win

Four surprises in California primary results as voters reject status quo

If there were, in fact, fraud, this is exactly what it would look like. Again, there is no proof of fraud — but there is no proof that it isn’t. And those who defend California’s system as necessary for fairness and accuracy cannot explain why other Democrat-run states manage to count their results relatively quickly.

The........

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