Videos circulating online have prompted questions about voter outreach efforts in Los Angeles after several homeless residents on Skid Row claimed they received small cash payments connected to voting activities during recent elections, as reported [1] by The New York Post.
The videos, obtained by The California Post after appearing on the TikTok account LaneNeedsSpencerPratt, were recorded Tuesday morning near 7th Street and Flower Street in downtown Los Angeles.
According to the outlet, copies of the footage were later provided to the Department of Justice.
The recordings feature several individuals living in or around Skid Row who alleged they were offered money in connection with voting or election-related activities involving Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and City Councilwoman Nithya Raman.
The California Post reported that the claims surfaced amid broader scrutiny over voter registration activity involving homeless populations in Los Angeles.
The outlet also reported that thousands of homeless voters had been registered at shelters where they allegedly did not reside.
In one video, a man identifying himself as Kevin Shepherd claimed he received money after voting for Bass.
When asked whether he was also encouraged to vote for Raman, Shepherd replied, “Yes.”
According to Shepherd, he was initially offered $2, negotiated for a higher amount, and ultimately received $4.
He further claimed he completed a mail-in ballot for Bass and deposited it into a ballot collection box.
Skid Row residents are saying people were paying cash for votes in the LA mayoral election, and Karen Bass is the name being brought up.
This needs a criminal investigation immediately.
Find out who paid them, who organized it, who collected the ballots, who funded the…
— Dan Holbrook (@DanHolbrook) June 11, 2026 [3]
Another Skid Row resident, 39-year-old Rene Johnson, said groups frequently visited the area, asking people to complete paperwork.
Johnson claimed she received $5 after being told to vote for Bass.
While Johnson said she supported Bass, she also stated that she did not fully understand some of the paperwork involved at the time.
“But, you know, at the time, I didn’t know that that was going on,” Johnson said.
“I was just trying to make five bucks, you know? But I didn’t do the fraud.”
When asked whether she believed the activity was improper, Johnson described it as “fraudulent behavior.”
She also said she believed vulnerable people were being taken advantage of.
Los Angeles Voter fraud EXPOSED
Skid row denizen admits she was paid $5 to vote for Karen Bass ..
Says they come multiple times a week to get people to vote for Bass or Raman ! @USAttyEssayli [4] …
Video from https://t.co/JvBLzInCFy [5] pic.twitter.com/rLzDBn2Lxc [6]
— Make L.A. Great Again 🇺🇸 (@lalovestrump) June 9, 2026 [7]
A third woman, who said she was living on the street, claimed she also accepted money connected to voting for Bass.
“It was like two bucks,” she said, adding that “yeah, they come out here all the time.”
🔥🚨BREAKING: Journalist Voice of La revealed this homeless woman living in Skid Row was paid $2 to vote for Mayor Karen Bass. pic.twitter.com/DVaYCFCrMh [8]
— Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) June 9, 2026 [9]
The individual who recorded the videos said he visited the area after hearing reports from a nearby worker who allegedly observed political volunteers operating around Skid Row before the election.
“Everybody said it was normal,” the content creator told The California Post.
“They said people came through all the time.”
According to the creator, numerous residents described voter-registration and outreach efforts as a regular occurrence in the neighborhood.
Several individuals interviewed claimed organizations visited the area multiple times each week, leading up to Election Day. Some residents acknowledged they did not fully understand all of the paperwork they signed.
Another resident, identified as Mark Sanchez, alleged he had repeatedly been approached by political canvassers.
“To sign a petition for the mayor or different things in office, and they paid me $4 or $5 in different accounts,” Sanchez claimed.
“It happened more than four or five times,” he added.
The California Post stated it could not independently verify the claims made in the videos.
However, the outlet reported that it spoke with nearly 20 individuals at locations containing large concentrations of registered voters.
According to the report, many said they knew they were registered but could not recall who registered them, whether they had recently voted, or what became of their ballots.
Don Garza, a disabled military veteran who has lived on Skid Row since 1999, said voter-registration drives are common in the area.
“We are tired of it. We don’t want people coming in and deciding elections and taking advantage of us,” Garza said.
“Every one of them thinks they have claim to our voice. They think they speak for us.”
The report also highlighted guidance published by the Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America regarding ballot collection efforts.
The organization’s publicly available “How To: Ballot Delivery” guide instructs volunteers on collecting completed mail ballots and encouraging voters to submit them immediately.
Ballot harvesting, the practice of collecting completed ballots for delivery, is legal under California law but remains the subject of ongoing political debate.
The California Post reported that requests for comment were sent to the Bass and Raman campaigns, but that no responses had been received at the time of publication.