WATCH: TPUSA Frontlines Catches Election Fraud On Camera In California

A new undercover video released by Turning Point USA’s Frontlines team is drawing attention to alleged election-related misconduct on the streets of Los Angeles, where activists say petitioners were caught offering cigarettes in exchange for signatures.

The footage, filmed on Skid Row by journalist Savannah Hernandez, appears to show individuals soliciting signatures from homeless residents while offering items of value — a practice that would violate California election law if proven true.

The clip shows a man handing out cigarettes while encouraging individuals to sign documents. At one point, he acknowledges the exchange on camera.

Under California Election Code Section 18603, it is illegal to offer money or anything of value in exchange for signing a petition or registering to vote. While paid petition circulation itself is legal, providing incentives tied directly to signatures crosses into unlawful territory.

The video quickly escalates as Hernandez confronts the individual, who denies wrongdoing and pushes back against the claims. Moments later, tensions rise as others in the area confront the journalist, with one individual telling her to leave and threatening physical violence.

Despite the confrontation, Hernandez continues documenting what she describes as a widespread and ongoing issue. According to the Frontlines report, this is not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern observed by multiple independent journalists.

WATCH:

CALIFORNIA FRAUD EXPOSED: Skid Row petitioner panics after our undercover journalist catches him exchanging cigarettes for signatures.

For years, petitioners have been targeting the homeless on Skid Row, offering bribes such as cigarettes or cash in exchange for signing… pic.twitter.com/0ildOvrPfn

— FRONTLINES TPUSA (@FrontlinesTPUSA) March 20, 2026

The organization claims that petitioners have long targeted vulnerable populations in areas like Skid Row, offering small incentives such as cigarettes, cash, or even drugs in exchange for signatures on petitions that could influence California law.

In one exchange captured on video, a man is heard explaining how the system works.

“They don’t really give you much information other than, you know, ‘hey, I’ll throw you a couple of bucks’ or ‘I’ll throw you some weed,'” one resident said. “This guy, for example, was going to give me some weed, so I said, ‘sure, you know, why not?’ One signature turned into like 10, 10 signatures turned into a voter registration form, which he told me nothing about, and he signed me up as a Republican and didn’t say anything about it.”

“The only way I knew was because I read what I’m signing. So yeah, it’s pretty crazy. It’s pretty crazy,” he finished.

Turning Point USA says this footage is part of an ongoing investigative series in collaboration with Citizen Journalism League and journalist James O’Keefe, aimed at exposing vulnerabilities in California’s election and petition systems. The group also points to past legal action as evidence that such schemes have occurred before.

In 2018, the Los Angeles County District Attorney charged nine individuals with felony election crimes related to a similar operation involving fraudulent signatures and voter registrations.

Several documented cases of election-related fraud and irregularities have surfaced in California in recent years. In San Luis Obispo County, charges were filed in June 2025 against a local individual tied to the 2022 and 2024 Arroyo Grande mayoral elections, with allegations including voter registration fraud, fraudulent voting, false declarations of candidacy, campaign finance violations, and perjury.

In Los Angeles, a separate scheme centered on Skid Row led to multiple prosecutions. Authorities said individuals offered incentives such as money and cigarettes to homeless residents in exchange for signing petitions and voter registration forms, some of which were allegedly falsified or submitted under fictitious names. One defendant pleaded guilty in 2020, and several others later entered pleas connected to the same operation involving forged signatures and fraudulent registrations.

Separately, in 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil lawsuit against Orange County’s registrar of voters, alleging that officials refused to provide records related to the removal of non-citizens from voter rolls and failed to properly maintain accurate voter lists as required under federal law. While this case deals with election administration and compliance rather than proven ballot fraud, it has been part of concerns and legal disputes over election integrity in California.

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