Actually, It Does Happen: Feds Nab Alleged Ringleader of Skid Row Ballot Fraud Ring
11th September 2026
As we reported in May, OMG Media’s James O’Keefe and Turning Point USA’s Savanah Hernandez both went to Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles and discovered something quite eye-opening: petition circulators offering cash, cigarettes, and marijuana in exchange for signatures on California ballot petitions. The canvassers themselves were being paid, and they in turn gave cash to the ballot signers, who used fake identities culled from voter records. The signers had no idea what they were falsely autographing — they just wanted the cigarettes.
Paying someone to register to vote or sign a petition is a crime, as is using a fraudulent identity.
Fast forward to Thursday, when First U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli announced that the DOJ had taken notice of the operations. They’re taking action to clamp down on these fraudulent activities and hold the perps to account.