Los Angeles, California – June 10, 2026
Los Angeles County Ballot Processing Facility Shows Empty Workstations Amid Large Unprocessed Backlog
Reporters from The California Post and The New York Post conducted an on-site inspection of Los Angeles County’s 144,000-square-foot ballot processing facility and documented numerous empty workstations and what appeared to be significant understaffing more than a week after the June 2 primary election.
County data indicate that approximately 713,180 ballots remained unprocessed, with only 77,521 ballots indexed since election night as of Wednesday. The county operates with an annual budget of roughly $336 million and maintains about 1,100 budgeted positions for election-related work. Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan receives an annual salary of $448,179.
In one section dedicated to manual review of ballots that fail automated scanning, observers noted roughly 25 bins of ballots ready for processing with no employees seated at the surrounding desks. In the area where workers open envelopes and prepare ballots, only about 75 staff members were present despite the workspace being designed to accommodate more than twice that number. Entire rows of workstations and seating sections appeared vacant during the visit.
When questioned about the contrast between the visible understaffing and the large backlog, one on-duty staff member reportedly told reporters, “Don’t be fooled by what you see,” before declining to elaborate further.
The slow pace of counting has drawn sharp criticism from California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton, who called on Governor Gavin Newsom to immediately deploy an emergency rapid-response team to help clear the backlogs while maintaining security protocols.
Steve Hilton stated:
“California is the laughing stock of the nation when it comes to election reporting. We are the fourth-largest economy in the world, home to Silicon Valley and some of the most advanced technology on earth, yet government bureaucrats need a month to count fewer than 10 million ballots.”
Other states that held primaries on the same date have advanced much more quickly. New Jersey has certified roughly 93 percent of its ballots, while New Mexico and Montana have exceeded 98 percent completion.
President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social accusing officials of using the late arrival of large volumes of mail-in ballots to manipulate outcomes in key races, including the Los Angeles mayoral primary and the contest to succeed Nancy Pelosi.
Governor Newsom’s office responded by sharing a video that described some election-integrity concerns as misinformation, while acknowledging, “And yes, for the record: we wish the votes were counted faster, too.”
Los Angeles County maintains a voter roll exceeding 5.8 million registered individuals. The combination of the reported understaffing, the slow pace of processing, and the contrast with faster results in other states has prompted calls from several candidates and observers for greater transparency and operational improvements in California’s election administration.
