It's Wednesday. We look at why California takes so long to finalize election results. Plus, Alex Villanueva, the combative leader of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, concedes defeat. |
 | | Hundreds of thousands of ballots received from drop boxes awaited processing last week.Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times, via Getty Images |
|
The election was over a week ago, but we're still anxiously awaiting the results of several key races. |
Perhaps you're wondering why the Golden State seems to take so long to count ballots. I was, too, so I asked some election experts for their insight. |
I had often heard that the delay was because California is an enormous state, with nearly 22 million registered voters. But while it's true that we have more votes to count, we also have more election workers to help guide the process along, so volume probably isn't the primary factor. |
The experts told me that the extra time it took to finalize results in California was more likely because state officials had tried so hard to make voting here as easy as possible. |
That's a good thing, but it also means that voters have more time to turn in vote-by-mail ballots, the opportunity to correct errors in their ballots, and multiple ways to cast their votes — all of which slow the final tallies. As Jessica Levinson, a Loyola Marymount University law professor, put it, "We have prized turnout over speed." |
Here are some of the reasons for the long wait: |
The rise of mail-in voting |
In 2004, a third of California voters cast ballots by mail. In the June primary this year, that fraction had exploded to 91 percent, according to an analysis by the nonprofit California Voter Foundation. |
Mail-in ballots take longer to process than those cast in person. Before a ballot can be opened and fed into a counting machine, an election worker must verify that the signature on the envelope matches the signature on file, to both confirm the identity of the voter and check that the person didn't also fill out a ballot at a polling place. |
It's a tedious task that delays how long it takes to receive results, but it is done to make absolutely sure that the vote totals are accurate, said Kim Alexander, president of the California Voter Foundation. |
"That's the ironic thing," she said. "There are some people who are observing this and thinking there must be something questionable going on, when in fact what's going on is election officials are ensuring the security and accuracy of the vote count." |
California allows seven days for ballots to make it to election offices, as long as they're postmarked on or before Election Day. That means that ballots that were received through yesterday were included in the count. |
Most states require that absentee ballots get to county election offices by, or even before, Election Day, with no grace period. But California officials give ballots a week to arrive to make sure no votes are disqualified because of post office delays or errors. |
California counties are also required to contact voters with missing or mismatched envelope signatures so they can be given the opportunity to submit valid signatures and have their ballots counted. |
This process, known as ballot curing, is mandated in only about half of U.S. states. The rest of them don't count ballots with these problems. Curing takes time, and further lengthens California's vote-counting period. |
Finally, under California law, county election officials have 30 days to count every ballot. In many other states, the deadline is about a week. |
"California has always had this 30-day canvass period, at least as long as I can remember," said Paul Mitchell, a vice president at Political Data Inc., a supplier of election data based in Sacramento. But as the popularity of mail-in voting has led to more ballots coming in after Election Day, he said, "it becomes much more apparent to people that 'Hey, it's taking a long time.'" |
On Tuesday evening, California's secretary of state, Shirley Weber, warned that it could take several more days, or even weeks, to know all the results of last week's elections. In 2020, it took California 11 days to report 95 percent of its votes. |
"This is normal," Weber said in a statement. "We have a process that by law ensures both voting rights and the integrity of elections. I would call on everyone to be patient." |
 | | Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said that she does not plan to make any announcements about her future until after the elections in the House are determined.Al Drago for The New York Times |
|
- Los Angeles sheriff: Alex Villanueva, the combative leader of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, conceded defeat to Robert Luna, after a bitterly fought contest.
- Long Beach mayor: Rex Richardson will become the first Black mayor of Long Beach after his opponent conceded on Tuesday, The Los Angeles Times reports.
- Homelessness lawsuit: A judge delayed a decision to settle a lawsuit accusing Los Angeles of failing to address homelessness, saying that the proposed agreement fell short of providing an adequate number of mental health and substance abuse beds, The Los Angeles Times reports.
- Santa Ana: Forecasters warned of critical fire danger and potentially damaging gusts as the Santa Ana wind developed in Southern California, The Associated Press reports.
|
- Construction cost: A planned residential tower that will house the International High School in the Hayes Valley neighborhood of San Francisco is getting both a density bonus and permission not to include on-site affordable units, SFist reports.
- Settlement: Recology, a waste management company, has agreed to set aside $25 million to San Francisco as part of a proposed settlement to address unauthorized profits earned by the company, The San Francisco Chronicle reports.
|
 | | Open Homes Photography |
|
For $3 million: A 1940 cottage in Newport Beach, a four-bedroom house in Larkspur and a French country-style estate in Sacramento. |
 | | Ovenly |
|
 | | The Mojave Desert.John Francis Peters for The New York Times |
|
We're writing about how Californians celebrate Thanksgiving. Do you make stuffing with sourdough, or opt for roasted brussels sprouts instead of green bean casserole? Maybe you always travel to a special spot within the Golden State. |
Email us at CAtoday@nytimes.com with your California Thanksgiving traditions and memories. Please include your name and the city where you live. |
We may include your email response in an upcoming newsletter or in print. By emailing us a response, you agree that you have read, understand and accept the Reader Submission Terms in relation to all of the content and other information you send to us ("Your Content"). If you do not accept these terms, do not submit any content. |
 | | Adam Matthew Drawas, left, and Alan Joseph Pablos-Perez.Lin and Jirsa Photography |
|
And before you go, some good news |
Adam Matthew Drawas and Alan Joseph Pablos-Perez met through Instagram in late January 2010. They began messaging after liking each other's Instagram story. |
When they went out on their first date a week later, Drawas had expected to pay since he had chosen a pricey Los Angeles restaurant for the date. But when Pablos-Perez learned that Drawas's birthday was later that week, he decided to surreptitiously take care of the dinner bill. |
This seemingly small move made a big impression. |
"Alan is so kind," Drawas told The New York Times. "When you find someone that leads with that, it is such a gift. Everyone he interacts with, it's with kindness, love and compassion." |
Drawas could already envision their wedding day, which took place in Beverly Hills last month. "I knew in the first 10 seconds of meeting him that he was the one," Drawas said. "I just felt it with every fiber in my body." |
Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Soumya |
Briana Scalia and Isabella Grullón Paz contributed to California Today. You can reach the team at CAtoday@nytimes.com. |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment