By Don Wagner

August 25, 2026 

California is the home of the artificial intelligence boom, smartphones and some of the most valuable technology companies on earth. We have built systems that process billions of transactions in a second, sequence a human genome overnight and operate self-driving cars. 

Yet it wasn’t until July 10 that the state finally certified the results of its June 2 primary election.

It took 38 days.

This is not a technology problem or fraud. It is a policy problem.

California’s ballot-counting delays are not a bug in the process. The state allows county officials up to 30 days after Election Day to complete counting, auditing and certification. Mail-in ballots postmarked on Election Day can arrive at county offices up to seven days later. Counties must verify signatures on every single envelope before opening ballots. 

Officials are, in the words of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation, essentially running two election systems simultaneously.

The result is a state of 23 million registered voters that takes weeks to tell citizens who won an election.

When the incumbent secretary of state — initially appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom — resisted timeliness and even claimed she would not sacrifice accuracy, Newsom himself sent a letter to all 58 county elections officials urging them to count ballots “as quickly as possible,” to prevent “election lies from taking hold.”

To be clear, I am not saying California’s elections are rigged. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled votes can be counted five days after Election Day if postmarked. The court’s decision means that elections will continue to be administered under rules that were not designed for speed.

Other states like Florida show that counting fast and accurately are not mutually exclusive. They’re a function of when the law allows the work to start. Whereas California takes over a month, Florida can finish counting votes in four days.

Three changes would make a concrete difference.

Read more at CalMatters

###