Elder, Trump raising questions about integrity of recall election voting

WHITTIER, Calif. (KABC) -- Larry Elder brought his recall message to Whittier Friday, telling supporters that he's days away from cutting Gov. Gavin Newsom's second term short.

Just like with the November 2020 election, some Republicans have started to raise questions about the integrity of the recall election.

On Tuesday, former President Donald Trump promoted baseless claims on Newsmax that it's a rigged election. And that is what the Republican leading in the polls, Larry Elder, said on Wednesday in Los Angeles.

"What I believe is that no matter what they do I believe that there might very well be shenanigans as it were in the 2020 election. So many Californians are angry about what's going on in this state regarding the cost of living, regarding homelessness, regarding the decline and the quality of public education," said Elder.

Elder provided no proof to back up his claim.

Newsom reacted to after voting on Friday.

"It's just an extension of the big lie, the steal," Newsom said. "I mean it's just a remarkable thing. We're four days out. The election hasn't even happened and now they're all claiming election fraud."

And the top election official in LA County, Registrar Dean Logan, had this to say:

"I think that it's the wrong message to send to voters that they should concerned that if it doesn't turn out the way they wanted, that there was something wrong with the elections process," Logan said.

"That is the purpose of an election, to give everybody the chance to have their voice heard and there's going to be a winner and there's going to be a loser in that process. But that doesn't mean if it doesn't go your way, there was fraud."

A new Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies Poll released Friday looking at likely voters found 38% plan to vote yes on the recall but 60 percent say they'll vote no.

And on question two that lists the 46 replacement candidates, Larry Elder is in the lead at 38% compared to Democrat Kevin Paffrath at 10% and Republican Kevin Faulconer at 6%.