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David Friedberg: California’s Voting System Looks Fraudulent, But It’s Working Exactly as Designed

June 14, 2026 / 02:26

This episode discusses mail-in ballot trends in Los Angeles, focusing on the 2022 mayoral election involving candidates Pratt, Nithya Raman, and Karen Bass. Key topics include the impact of legislative changes on voting behavior, particularly in areas like Skid Row.

The conversation highlights Pratt's decline in mail-in ballots by one-third, while Raman saw an 80% increase in late ballots. Bass experienced a 10% decrease. The discussion questions the sociopolitical implications of these statistics.

Legislative changes, such as California Assembly Bill 1921, which legalized unlimited ballot harvesting, are examined. The episode explains how these laws allow individuals to collect and submit ballots without strict identification requirements.

Furthermore, the episode addresses the broader implications of these voting laws, suggesting that they have created a system where appointments can occur under the guise of free elections.

TLDR

Mail-in ballot trends in LA's mayoral election reveal significant shifts influenced by new voting laws.

Episode

2:26
00:00:00
Pratt's post-election mail-in ballots declined by 1/3. So, statistically, the population of people that send in their
00:00:07
ballots late reduced for Pratt by a third, increased for Nithya Raman by 80% and Karen Bass 10% less. If you just
00:00:15
look at the mail-in ballots before and after election day as a comparison. I don't know if there's a sociopolitical
00:00:21
way that you can assess those statistics and assume that these are individuals casting their individual vote for who
00:00:28
they think should be mayor of LA. Basically, the concentration of incremental votes that Nithya Raman got
00:00:34
came around the Skid Row area in Los Angeles. But, when you look at the basic statistics of what happened in person,
00:00:41
mail-in before, mail-in after election day, it becomes a real statistical quagmire
00:00:46
on how did this sort of a sociopolitical shift happen in such a way that it did.
00:00:52
Now, there was a report published and they highlighted the 2018 California midterm elections and the challenges
00:00:59
that they saw arise in that midterm elections because of some of the legislative changes that were made.
00:01:04
First, California Assembly Bill 1921 legalized the practice of unlimited ballot harvesting in the state. What
00:01:10
that means is that any individual in the state of California has the right to go
00:01:16
and collect ballots from any other individuals regardless of relationship, fill them out and send them in.
00:01:25
California 2 years later, 18 months later, also passed a law that made it permanent that every person registered
00:01:32
in the state of California would get a ballot. So, tens of millions of ballots then get mailed out. Then there was
00:01:37
another series of laws that were passed that said anyone can register to vote. You don't need to prove your
00:01:42
citizenship. You can use a gym membership card as an example. So, anyone can register to vote. There is no
00:01:48
proof of ID when you get a ballot. There's no demonstration that the person who fills out the ballot has anything to
00:01:53
do with the individual who's supposed to be voting that ballot and it is legal for an individual to go out and collect
00:01:58
hundreds or thousands of ballots, ship them in, and they will all qualify in these kind of mail-in ballot voting
00:02:04
processes. So, there's nothing illegal or fraudulent going on. In fact, the system is operating exactly as intended.
00:02:11
It has been set up and structured in a way that with the right construct, you can get an individual appointed, not
00:02:18
elected, but appointed to a particular role in government under a {quote} free election in California.

Episode Highlights

  • California's Ballot Harvesting Laws
    California legalized unlimited ballot harvesting, allowing anyone to collect and submit ballots.
    “What that means is that any individual in the state of California has the right to go and collect ballots.”
    @ 01m 08s
    June 14, 2026
  • Voting Without Proof of Citizenship
    New laws allow anyone to register to vote without proving citizenship or ID.
    “You don't need to prove your citizenship.”
    @ 01m 39s
    June 14, 2026

Episode Quotes

  • It becomes a real statistical quagmire.
    David Friedberg: California’s Voting System Looks Fraudulent, But It’s Working Exactly as Designed
  • You can get an individual appointed, not elected, under a free election in California.
    David Friedberg: California’s Voting System Looks Fraudulent, But It’s Working Exactly as Designed

Key Moments

  • Statistical Quagmire00:44
  • Ballot Harvesting Legalized01:08
  • Voting Registration Changes01:39

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