California's efforts to boost voter participation through expanded mail-in voting have yielded minimal increases in turnout, according to final official vote counts from the state's June primary. Statewide turnout reached 40.8%, a modest rise from 35% in 2024 and 33.2% in 2022, but experts note this figure has not consistently reached levels seen in some past primaries and falls below pre-1980s participation rates.
The state has significantly expanded mail-in voting, with every registered voter receiving a ballot that can be counted up to seven days after Election Day if postmarked on time. However, this accessibility has not translated into substantial jumps in turnout or a more representative electorate, according to the Center for Inclusive Democracy. "The numbers don’t lie," said Director Mindy Romero, noting persistent disparities in turnout across racial and ethnic groups.
Instead, the extended vote-counting period has become a focal point of criticism. A report by the California Voter Foundation highlighted that the state now has the nation's slowest vote-counting process, with the percentage of ballots tallied within two days of Election Day decreasing from 81% in 2004 to 66% in 2024. "When results take weeks, it creates space for confusion and misinformation," stated Kim Alexander, president of the foundation.
This prolonged counting process drew public frustration and political criticism, including from President Donald Trump, who claimed the election was "rigged" after early leads for some candidates shifted as mail ballots were tallied. "California has one of the most accessible voting systems in the world, but our long count overshadows our strengths," Alexander added. A 2025 study by the Public Policy Institute of California also concluded that the statewide vote-by-mail law has "generally fallen short of the reform’s original goal of a larger and more representative electorate."
Experts suggest that factors beyond mail-in voting access, such as competitive and open primaries, may play a larger role in turnout. Eric McGhee, a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, pointed to the recent gubernatorial primary, which he described as the first truly open one in a long time, as a potential reason for the slight increase in participation. "Often in a primary, turnout is low because everything is so partisan," he told the Sacramento Bee. "So voters don’t get riled up about distinctions between candidates within parties, but we just had the first truly open gubernatorial primary in a long time."
Despite the criticisms and the debate over its effectiveness in boosting turnout, California's mail voting system, including the counting of late-arriving ballots, is likely to continue. A recent Supreme Court ruling affirming states' rights to count mail-in ballots arriving after Election Day has faced opposition from some Republicans, who argue it could "undermine confidence in elections."