THE SOUTHERN TRUTH DOJ Watching California’s Vote Count While Candidates Claim Victory: What’s Going On?
By Dr. Gloria Zuurveen, Editor-in-Chief
As I sat and watched the continuing drama surrounding California’s June primary election, I could not help but hear the voice of the late Marvin Gaye asking a question that seems as relevant today as it was decades ago:
“What’s going on?”
That is a fair question.
Across California, millions of ballots remain uncounted. Key races are still too close to call. The U.S. Department of Justice has sent a federal prosecutor to observe ballot processing in Los Angeles County. Federal officials have announced multiple election-related investigations. At the same time, state election officials insist the process is working exactly as designed and that every legally cast vote deserves to be counted.
Yet amid all of this uncertainty, some candidates appear ready to celebrate victory before the counting is complete.
That raises a question.
Why?
If the race is truly too close to call, what gives any candidate confidence that the outcome is already decided? Is it political optimism? Is it confidence based upon internal campaign data? Or is there something the public simply does not yet know? Those questions become even more significant when viewed through the lens of recent political developments. One of the most dramatic shifts in this election season involved Congressman Eric Swalwell. Suddenly, issues that appeared damaging to his campaign became major public discussion points. Whether those revelations were new information or information that had long been known remains a matter of debate. But politics has always been a game of timing.
Sometimes information appears at precisely the moment when it can do the most damage.
Sometimes one candidate falls while another rises.
And sometimes voters are left wondering whether events unfolded naturally or whether powerful political forces were quietly shaping the outcome behind the scenes.
To be clear, there is currently no public evidence proving any wrongdoing by Xavier Becerra or any other candidate. There is also no public evidence proving election fraud in California’s vote count.
But journalism is not merely about accepting official explanations. Journalism is also about asking questions when things do not appear to make sense.
The public deserves answers.
Why does California continue to take so long to count ballots when technology has advanced so dramatically?
Why are millions of votes still outstanding days after Election Day?
Why does every election cycle seem to produce the same frustrations, suspicions, and accusations?
Why does public confidence continue to erode?
And perhaps most importantly, what can be done to restore trust regardless of which candidate eventually wins?
Democracy depends not only on fair elections but on public confidence that elections are fair.
When voters begin asking questions, dismissing those questions is rarely the answer.
Transparency is.
Accountability is.
Truth is.
Whether the Department of Justice finds problems or confirms that everything is operating properly, the people deserve to know.
Until then, many Californians will continue asking the same question Marvin Gaye asked years ago:
“What’s going on?”
And perhaps that is the most important question of all.
