Hundreds of Election Ballots Discovered Unsecured at Los Angeles Homeless Shelter
A stack of ballots was found in an open hallway at The Midnight Mission shelter in Los Angeles, which has more than 1,100 registered voters.
A California investigation revealed that hundreds of mail-in ballots were piled in an open hallway at The Midnight Mission, a Skid Row homeless shelter where 1,160 voters are registered. The shelter’s communications director said its policy is to keep ballots locked until distribution, but cramped mailroom conditions require continuous handling throughout the day. U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli confirmed a federal probe into ballot handling on Skid Row, though he did not comment on the specific shelter.
Republican congressional candidate Scott Meyers criticized the shelter and the postal service for treating ballots like junk mail, citing similar lapses in apartment lobbies. Venice council member Nico Ruderman described the find as disappointing yet unsurprising, urging a ballot-initiative for comprehensive election reform to restore public confidence. The episode follows earlier reporting on thousands of voter registrations linked to homeless service sites and renewed debate over California’s ballot-collection rules.
Why it matters
Unsecured ballots risk undermining confidence in elections and highlight challenges in voting access for homeless populations.
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