Gov. Gavin Newsom has demanded California counties speed up vote counting in the upcoming June primary election after embarrassing months-long delays in prior elections raised questions about the efficiency of state elections.
The governor told county election officials to halt “mis- and disinformation” about elections by counting votes “quickly and accurately.”
“Time is of the essence in preventing election lies from taking hold,” Newsom wrote in a May 4 letter to election clerks from all 58 California counties.
“Results are subject to alarming levels of mis- and disinformation that aim to erode voter confidence,” Newsom said, adding that election threats “are only escalating.”
California ballots have begun landing in mailboxes ahead of the June 2 primary race that will determine general election candidates for Congress, governor and other key races.
The state’s notoriously slow ballot counts — final results have taken weeks or even months in prior elections — have fueled frustrations and ridicule over the past several years.
Final results in the 2024 congressional elections were delayed by a week due to plodding vote counts in six California races — as control of the House of Representatives hung in the balance.
It took two months for election officials to finish tallying ballots in a 2024 congressional primary between Rep. Sam Liccardo, former state Assembly member Evan Low and former Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian in Silicon Valley, thanks partly to a recount request that dragged out for weeks.
In 2022, it took nearly a month for former Republican Rep. John Duarte to be declared the winner in another district in Central California.
While no one challenged the accuracy of those counts, “when you have ballots that are just sitting around for any period of time, it raises an eyebrow,” political consultant Tim Rosales previously told the Associated Press.
Secretary of State Shirley Weber has defended California’s elections system, saying that accuracy is more important than speed.
Californians frequently vote by mail and the state is legally required to wait for, and verify, each mail ballot, Weber has previously said.
Newsom cited three state bills — Assembly Bill 5, Assembly Bill 16 and Senate Bill 3 — that he said would help restore trust in elections.
Republicans led by Assemblymember Carl DeMaio gathered more than 960,000 signatures to place a measure on the November ballot that would tighten voter ID requirements in California.
Leading Democrats, including Weber and Sen. Alex Padilla, have come out against the voter ID measure — calling it unnecessary.
“Our elections are safe, secure,” Padilla told CNN, calling it a “solution in search of a problem” and a “voter suppression bill.”
“This could also keep eligible people from voting. What if you forgot your ID, or you forgot to renew it the week before and all of a sudden you’re not allowed to vote?” Padilla said.
Ben Adler, a public affairs director with the California State Association of Counties, suggested that local election departments are facing “immense pressure,” especially following federal cuts included in President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill.
“Friendly PSA that county election departments are paid for by discretionary general fund dollars that also go to sheriff, DA, probation, fire, homelessness, parks,” Adler wrote on X.
