California’s sluggish vote counting ripped across the political spectrum: ‘Extremely embarrassing’ California’s reliance on mail voting and a thorough review process means election results can take weeks to finalize, a situation that has drawn widespread criticism. While some defend the system for maximizing voter access, others argue it is embarrassing for American democracy and could cause national disarray if a national popular vote system were implemented. The lengthy counting process is attributed to factors like mail-in ballots arriving up to a week after election day and signature verification procedures.

• California’s primary election results may not be known for days or weeks due to its voting system.
• Political data analyst Nate Silver criticized the delay as ‘failed state sh-t’ and ‘embarrassing for US democracy’.
• The lengthy counts are due to California’s widespread mail voting and a review process that allows ballots postmarked by election day to arrive up to a week later.
• Critics, including Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley, argue that other states manage timely vote counts, highlighting California’s administrative shortcomings.
• Defenders of the system, like Democratic strategist Addisu Demissie, state that the delayed count maximizes turnout and voter access.
• Concerns have been raised about the potential for prolonged uncertainty in national elections if California’s system were applied nationally under a popular vote system.