Hilton presses Newsom to speed count in California governor election

Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton called on California Governor Gavin Newsom to create an emergency 'Election Support Corps' to accelerate ballot counting in the June 2 primary, where results remain unresolved. With 60% of votes counted, Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra lead the race, while Democrat Tom Steyer trails in third place. Hilton criticized the state’s slow count, comparing California’s process unfavorably to India’s ability to count over 600 million ballots in 24 hours, and demanded Newsom issue an executive order to resolve backlogs. Newsom’s office dismissed Hilton’s request, stating the governor does not control ballot counting or election administration, which falls under local officials and state law. The office acknowledged the delays but reiterated that Newsom lacks authority over the process. Meanwhile, Newsom expressed frustration over the slow vote count, though he stopped short of endorsing Hilton’s proposed solution. Federal authorities announced investigations into potential election fraud in Los Angeles on June 5, with Bill Essayli, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for California’s Central District, leading a comprehensive audit of voter rolls. The probe follows a May plea deal involving Brenda Lee Brown Armstrong, a longtime signature collector for ballot initiatives, who admitted to paying homeless individuals in Los Angeles to gather signatures in 2025. The investigations aim to address concerns over voter roll integrity amid the ongoing delays in California’s primary results.