California Lawmakers Approve $40 Million to Speed Election Results Before Nov. 3
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 29
California Lawmakers Approve $40 Million to Speed Election Results Before Nov. 3
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 29
Summary
$40 million in new state funding aims to help California report election outcomes within five days of the Nov. 3 election, though close races still may not be settled on election night.
$29 million will pay for more county election workers and equipment upgrades, while $10 million will fund a campaign urging voters to return mail ballots before Election Day to ease processing.
Mail voting remains the main bottleneck because California accepts ballots arriving up to seven days after Election Day if postmarked on time, a policy the Supreme Court effectively left intact Monday.
The push follows repeated delays that have drawn national criticism: Los Angeles's mayoral primary took six days to call, the governor's race seven, and California's closest 2024 House races three weeks.
$750,000 of the package is earmarked to counter misinformation, reflecting Democratic concerns that slow counts fuel false claims about late-added fraudulent ballots.