Representative Abe Hamadeh (D-AZ) is pushing for sweeping changes to how elections are conducted in California, escalating his criticism after vote tallies shifted during the Los Angeles mayoral nonpartisan primary, in which Nithya Raman secured one of the two advancing spots.
Hamadeh, who has long championed stricter election laws, argued that California's system is fundamentally broken. He called on the federal government to step in, writing that the state is "incapable of running free and fair elections" consistent with constitutional guarantees.
He went further by advocating for full federalization of California's elections, a significant and controversial proposal that would strip the state of its traditional authority over how it conducts its own races.
His remarks drew support from President Donald Trump, who amplified Hamadeh's post on social media and suggested that if Democrats succeeded in the race through what he characterized as dishonest means, serious consequences would follow.
President Trump had been watching the contest closely and questioned the integrity of the vote count publicly on both Truth Social and X.
California's Voter Registration
Part of the broader debate centers on California's voter registration practices. The state permits first-time voters to verify their identity using a wide range of documentation, a policy critics argue creates vulnerabilities in the system.
Those concerns have caught the attention of the Department of Justice (DOJ), which sent a formal letter to California Secretary of State Shirley Weber demanding the state's full voter registration list.
The DOJ cited authority under the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act, and the Civil Rights Act of 1960, and set a deadline of August 21, 2025, for compliance. Failure to provide the records, the letter warned, could result in legal action.
Hamadeh summarized his position bluntly, posting that the country is "done pretending" that California's election structure isn't susceptible to manipulation, and called the SAVE America Act a necessary first step toward establishing national election standards.
