Not only is California's long, slow count of ballots cast in last week's election problematic because voters and candidates need to know the results, it's allowing time for conspiracy theories to take hold. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has conceded that the delays leave the state vulnerable to criticism, the New York Times reports, and wrote to election officials last month urging them to speed the process up. "The longer the voting count takes, the more mis- and disinformation spreads," Newsom wrote. But the process seems no faster this time.
The state leans heavily on mail-in voting and requires labor-intensive steps: signature checks, envelope opening, and ballot inspection. This year, many Democratic voters reportedly waited until late to turn in ballots, further dragging out the timeline. States like Colorado and Washington also rely on mail voting but post results far more quickly, in part because they've invested more uniformly in staff and technology. In California, each county sets its own budget, staffing, and hours, creating wide disparities: Big counties such as Los Angeles and Orange can still need a week to get through most ballots, while smaller, poorer counties may need up to a month.
Into the vacuum come claims of cheating. When Nithya Raman overtook Spencer Pratt in the count for Los Angeles mayor, President Trump blamed "rigged" mail balloting. But there's no credible evidence of voter fraud in California, the Guardian points out. Bill Essayli, the federal prosecutor who said federal investigations have begun without providing details, nevertheless debunked one report. "There was a claim circulating on social media about an election night ballot update at the Los Angeles Registrar of Voters where one candidate received zero votes. We reviewed official county records," Essayli posted. "The claim is false." California Secretary of State Shirley Weber said she wants counties to take their time, per the Times. "Accuracy comes before speed," she said.
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