Exclusive | Hundreds of ballots left exposed at Skid Row homeless center ahead of LA election

Hundreds of ballots were found piled in an open hallway at a Skid Row homeless shelter where more than 1,100 voters are registered, a California Post investigation found.The ballots were spotted at The Midnight Mission, a downtown LA homeless shelter offering meals and mail services, where 1,160 voters are registered.The Post authenticated a photo of the ballots and independently confirmed the scene during a visit to the shelter on October 13.The discovery comes four months after the California Post exposed 7,600 voter registrations linked to homeless shelters and service providers across Los Angeles, including facilities that don’t offer a single bed.The Midnight Mission told The Post election ballots are supposed to be kept under lock and key until they reach their intended recipients.“Our standard procedure is to secure election ballots behind locked doors until they are distributed to their intended recipients,” Georgia Hawley, the organization’s chief communications officer, told The Post.“I personally confirmed that ballots were being stored securely when I visited our mail center.”The organization, located at 601 South San Pedro Street, handles large volumes of mail for homeless residents.Hawley explained that limited mailroom space requires deliveries to be received, sorted and distributed throughout the day.The Post also contacted U.S.

Attorney Bill Essayli to determine whether federal authorities were investigating election ballots on Skid Row.Essayli confirmed an investigation but declined to discuss The Midnight Mission specifically.Republican congressional candidate Scott Meyers, an attorney running in California’s 30th Congressional District, blasted the handling of election mail, pointing to both the postal system and organizations responsible for receiving and distributing ballots.“We’re treating ballots like junk mail,” Meyers said.Meyers also told The Post the problem extends far beyond homeless shelters, pointing to photograph...