Did LA Mayor Karen Bass just break election law on camera?
By Easton Martin | May 26, 2026
Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt filed a formal complaint Tuesday against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, alleging she flagrantly violated state and local election laws by electioneering on camera near a ballot drop box.
The complaint, submitted by attorney Peter McNulty on behalf of Pratt, accuses Bass of campaigning and soliciting votes well within the legally prohibited 100-foot boundary of a polling location during early voting.
The dispute stems from a video posted to the mayor’s own social media accounts. According to the complaint, the footage shows Bass and a group of supporters holding campaign signs and capturing the moment ballots were submitted into a drop box.
California Elections Code Section 18370 and Los Angeles City Election Code Article B, Section 815 strictly prohibit electioneering within 100 feet of a polling place, an elections official’s office, or any outdoor site where a voter may cast or drop off a ballot. The law specifically bans soliciting votes, speaking to voters about marking their ballots, and displaying a candidate’s name, likeness, logo, or campaign materials within this zone.
In the formal letter sent to Los Angeles City Clerk Patrice Lattimore, McNulty argued that the restrictions must be broadly construed during early voting periods.
”As evidenced in her own social media posts, Karen Bass has violated the law by soliciting votes, holding signs asking voters to vote for her, describing the qualifications/process of casting a ballot, and engaging in blatant electioneering directly near a polling place and drop box location,” McNulty wrote. “It isn’t just a matter of Karen Bass being too close, but rather that she shows herself and others directly submitting her ballots into drop boxes all while electioneering, soliciting votes and promoting such activity all over social media.”
Pratt, a former reality television personality running a campaign focused on addressing crime and the city’s homelessness crisis, took to social media to share the filing. He commented that the mayor filmed herself breaking the law and noted that a parallel complaint has been lodged with the State of California.
The City Clerk’s office and representatives for the Bass campaign have not yet issued a formal response to the allegations. Violations of California’s electioneering laws are classified as misdemeanors. The complaint demands an immediate investigation and calls for the infractions to be prosecuted to the furthest degree.
