Spencer Pratt has lobbed a late-breaking grenade into Los Angeles' already heated mayoral primary, filing a formal complaint on Tuesday that accuses Mayor Karen Bass of illegally campaigning too close to a ballot drop box. The filing asks the City Clerk and City Attorney to investigate, arguing that video posted by Bass' team appears to show the mayor and her supporters soliciting votes right next to a drop box. With the June 2 primary just days away, the complaint dangles the possibility of a legal review landing right as Angelenos are trying to make up their minds.
The complaint
In the complaint, Pratt argues that Bass "engaged in illegal electioneering while encouraging voters to cast ballots" around a secure drop box and urges officials to "investigate and prosecute" the conduct, as reported by the New York Post. The filing zeroes in on video and photos that it says show campaign signs, supporters, and the mayor herself urging voters in the immediate vicinity of a ballot drop box, drawing a bright red line around the area Pratt claims crossed into forbidden territory.
What the law says
State law bans "electioneering" — which includes visible or audible advocacy for a candidate — within 100 feet of a polling place, curbside voting area or ballot drop box. That buffer is spelled out in the Elections Code, which also warns against loitering or soliciting at drop boxes. Pratt's complaint leans on that language and attempts to measure Bass' distance from the box against the statutory line, citing California Elections Code § 319.5.
Bass campaign pushes back
The Bass campaign is treating the allegation as a political stunt. Alex Stack, a campaign spokesperson, told TMZ, "Spencer is just mad that his supporters are AI cartoons and we have real Angelenos. We follow the rules." The campaign also told the New York Post that the clips were filmed at multiple locations and that they believe everything shown in the footage took place outside any restricted zone. Pratt's team, unsurprisingly, says that is not how their tape measures it.
Why it matters
The complaint lands in a race that already looks tight enough that even a small legal dust-up could carry political weight. A release from Emerson College Polling last week put Bass at 30 percent, Pratt at 22 percent and Nithya Raman at 19 percent. Under the rules governing the June 2 primary, the top two finishers move on to a November runoff if no one captures a majority. That structure means even a narrow administrative finding could alter the strategic math heading into fall, according to the California Secretary of State.
What happens next
Pratt has asked the City Clerk and City Attorney to take up the complaint, leaving those offices to decide whether to investigate, issue warnings or refer any alleged violations to prosecutors. In practice, election administrators typically treat electioneering complaints as administrative matters and may loop in county prosecutors if they see a potential criminal issue. As of publication, Pratt's team said officials had not immediately responded to requests for comment, per TMZ. Los Angeles County election guidance from the Los Angeles County Registrar underscores the ban on electioneering around drop boxes, framing those limits as a way to safeguard voter access and keep the process from turning into a sidewalk shouting match.
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