A Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on nationwide fraud turned its focus to California on Wednesday, as lawmakers questioned independent journalists regarding recent reports of election irregularities in Los Angeles.
The hearing follows reports of alleged fraud during the California mayoral and gubernatorial primary elections on June 2, 2026. The session saw limited bipartisan attendance, with Ranking Member Senator Gary Peters being the sole Democratic committee member present.
During the proceedings, Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) questioned witness James O’Keefe about his team’s recent investigations into voter registration practices in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles, which followed a recent Department of Justice indictment.
“Mr. O’Keefe, your team returned to Skid Row after the DOJ indicted somebody for election fraud and found the same operation running openly: cash for signatures, fake voter data, and coaching on forgery,” Scott said. “So, walk us through what you documented and what it tells you about whether the indictment deterred anybody. How widespread is the model beyond Skid Row in Los Angeles? Based on your investigation, do you think this model could easily be replicated in other states and cities around the country?”
O’Keefe testified that his team observed the illicit activity continuing despite the federal legal actions.
“Yeah, within seconds of appearing on Skid Row, I personally, disguised as a homeless person, caught this behavior happening in broad daylight,” O’Keefe responded. “So, it’s happening thousands of times… These people are logging in to an online database called Sigvalid.com and pulling real names and voters. Those people’s votes are disenfranchised. We went to their homes, and we knocked on their doors. One of them said, ‘What if I wanted to vote in this election?’ This is a completely nonpartisan, nonpolitical issue.”
The committee also heard testimony from citizen journalist Nick Shirley, who previously published reports concerning fraud allegations in both California and Minnesota.
The congressional scrutiny comes roughly one month after Scott sent a formal letter on June 12, 2026, to Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon. That correspondence requested a formal Department of Justice investigation into allegations of individuals receiving compensation for voter registration, incorrect address filings, and other irregularities in the Los Angeles primary.
Scott has also publicly advocated for the passage of the SAVE America Act, writing a recent commentary piece urging federal action on election security measures ahead of the Senate’s upcoming August recess.
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