A report released Thursday by the California Voter Foundation has identified fixable administrative bottlenecks as the primary cause of the state's slowest vote-counting process in the nation. The findings come as counties face a July 2 deadline to certify results from the state's primary election, which drew national attention for extended delays in announcing winners.
Kim Alexander, president of the California Voter Foundation, stated that while California possesses an accessible voting system, the prolonged counting period overshadows its strengths and can foster confusion and misinformation. The foundation's report indicates that the delays, which left voters in suspense for days following Election Day in races like the gubernatorial and Los Angeles mayoral contests, stem from systemic administrative issues rather than a lack of accessibility.
One significant factor contributing to the slow tabulation is California's extensive mail-in voting system. The state permits mail ballots to arrive up to a week after Election Day, provided they are postmarked by the deadline. However, the report also points to other administrative hurdles.
According to the findings, a considerable number of ballots can be rejected due to missing or non-matching signatures. State law mandates that election officials must notify the voter and allow up to 22 days for these "cures" to be submitted. Further delays arise from the state's centralized voter registration system. Before provisional ballots can be processed, counties must wait for other counties to update the central database to verify a voter's status, a process complicated by the state's "bottom-up" registration model, which is still used by only a handful of states.
The report also highlighted the need for upgraded voting equipment and facilities. In Placer County, for example, investments led to more than double the number of ballots being counted in the first week between 2022 and 2024. The foundation suggests that electronic curing systems, which can handle signature discrepancies via text or phone, could expedite the process and better assist younger voters who may encounter more signature issues.
To address the delays, the report recommended statewide awareness campaigns encouraging voters to submit their ballots earlier. The California Voter Foundation asserts that the state can achieve both faster results and maintain voter access through state investment and guidance.
Amidst these findings, California's expansive mail ballot access faces potential challenges. The U.S. Postal Service is reportedly considering a proposal that could affect mail ballot delivery in states unwilling to share voter data with federal agencies. Additionally, a forthcoming Supreme Court decision could potentially curtail delayed ballot counts and invalidate mail ballots arriving after Election Day.