Hundreds of Ballots Found Piled in Open Hallway at Skid Row Shelter; Federal Prosecutor Confirms Investigation
Hundreds of election ballots were found piled in an open hallway at a homeless shelter on Los Angeles's Skid Row where more than 1,100 voters are registered, the California Post, a New York Post publication, reported on Monday.
Bill Essayli, who leads the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles, confirmed to the outlet that federal authorities are investigating election ballots on Skid Row, but he declined to discuss the shelter specifically.
What the Report Found
The ballots were at The Midnight Mission, a shelter at 601 South San Pedro Street that offers meals and mail services to homeless residents. According to the report, 1,160 voters are registered at the shelter's address.
The outlet said it authenticated a photo of the ballots and confirmed the scene itself during a visit on Oct. 13. The report did not say how many of the ballots were later delivered to the voters they were addressed to, and it did not allege that any of them had been filled out or cast by someone else.
The midterm election is Nov. 3. In California, county election officials mail ballots to all active registered voters, according to the secretary of state's office, and state law allows a voter to authorize another person to return a completed mail ballot.
The Shelter's Response
The Midnight Mission said ballots are supposed to be kept locked up until they reach the people they are addressed to. "Our standard procedure is to secure election ballots behind locked doors until they are distributed to their intended recipients," the shelter's chief communications officer told the outlet. "I personally confirmed that ballots were being stored securely when I visited our mail center."
She said the shelter handles a large volume of mail and that its limited mailroom space means deliveries are received, sorted and handed out throughout the day.
Scott Meyers, the Republican candidate in California's 30th Congressional District, told the outlet the problem goes beyond shelters, pointing to photos of ballots left in apartment lobbies and blaming the U.S. Postal Service. "We're treating ballots like junk mail," he said. "These are pieces of gold. This is our democracy."
Election law attorney Garrett Fahy told the outlet earlier that letting homeless residents register at shelters and other nontraditional addresses reflects California's effort to protect access to voting.
Federal Scrutiny of Skid Row Voting
The report follows a June investigation by the same outlet that found about 7,600 voter registrations linked to homeless shelters and service providers across Los Angeles, including drop-in centers with no beds.
Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles have brought other cases tied to Skid Row. In September, a federal grand jury charged a Victorville man, James Brass, and two others with identity fraud and conspiracy, alleging they paid people on Skid Row to sign ballot-measure petitions using the names of real registered voters, Courthouse News Service reported. Brass pleaded not guilty, and his trial is scheduled for November.
"They allegedly used people, including members of Skid Row's vulnerable homeless population, to try to cover up their tracks," Essayli said at the time. "The charged conduct undermines the confidence voters have in our election systems."
Images: The Midnight Mission, Moreau36, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0; Los Angeles County ballot, County of Los Angeles, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
Yossi Schmidt, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, The Digital Free Press
Hold Everyone Accountable.
Sources: New York Post / California Post, "Hundreds of ballots left exposed at Skid Row homeless center," Oct. 26, 2026: https://nypost.com/2026/10/26/us-news/hundreds-of-ballots-found-at-skid-row-homeless-center-before-la-election/ ; Courthouse News Service, "Man charged with paying LA Skid Row denizens to sign ballot measure petitions," September 2026: https://www.courthousenews.com/man-charged-with-paying-la-skid-row-denizens-to-sign-ballot-measure-petitions ; U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California, "Victorville Man Arrested on Federal Indictment Alleging He Paid People to Sign Ballot Petitions": https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/victorville-man-arrested-federal-indictment-alleging-he-paid-people-sign-ballot ; California Secretary of State, vote-by-mail information: https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/vote-mail
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