Ballots damaged by fire, vote center vandalized ahead of Tuesday's primary election

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles County election officials are investigating two separate incidents of possible election interference as voters prepare to head to the polls for Tuesday's primary election.

Officials say a small number of vote-by-mail ballots were found damaged by fire inside an official ballot drop box in downtown Los Angeles. Separately, vandalism was reported at a vote center in Long Beach. Authorities say voting operations were not disrupted in either case and are working to identify any affected voters.

What we know:

According to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, staff discovered a limited number of vote-by-mail ballots that appeared to have sustained fire-related damage inside an official ballot drop box at the Department of Public Social Services-Civic Center in downtown Los Angeles.

Election officials said preliminary information indicates the incident was isolated and involved only a small number of ballots because it occurred between the most recent scheduled ballot collection and the following morning's retrieval.

The Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk has filed a report with the Los Angeles Police Department and said it will fully cooperate with any investigation into the cause and circumstances surrounding the incident.

In a separate incident, election workers discovered vandalism Sunday morning at the vote center located at Cesar E. Chavez Park in Long Beach. Officials said voting operations were not disrupted.

The county is reviewing both incidents and working to identify any voters who may have been affected. Officials said voters whose ballots may have been impacted by the drop box incident will be contacted directly and provided information about available options, including replacement ballots if necessary.

What they're saying:

"Our responsibility is to protect voters and ensure every eligible voter has the opportunity to cast a ballot," said Dean Logan, Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. "Any attempt to interfere with voting or election operations is taken seriously. We will continue working closely with law enforcement and other partners to safeguard the voting process and ensure voters can participate with confidence."

What we don't know:

Officials have not released information about what caused the fire-related damage to the ballots or whether any suspects have been identified.

Authorities also have not disclosed the exact number of ballots affected or provided details about the vandalism discovered at the Long Beach vote center.

The investigations into both incidents remain ongoing.