Commentary: Christmas is coming, and California is still counting ballots. Is that a problem?

Los Angeles Times ^ | Dec. 3, 2024 5 AM PT | Carla Hall, Editorial Writer

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Some Californians were carving Halloween pumpkins and taking their kids trick-or-treating when they cast their ballots in this year’s election. Now they’re putting up Christmas trees while officials are still tallying votes in some places.

With the vast majority of ballots counted, most of the races have been called by media organizations anyway, including some very close ones. In Orange County, Democrat Derek Tran was declared the winner in his race against incumbent Michelle Steel last week.

With that and a race in Iowa called the same week, California now claims the distinction of being home to the last congressional race in the country that has yet to be called. That’s in the Central Valley’s 13th District, where, with an estimated 99% of the votes counted as of Monday afternoon, Democratic challenger Adam Gray was leading Republican Rep. John Duarte by 143 votes.

That doesn’t mean everyone should keep hating on California for taking so long. First of all, we have more people than any other state. Second, every voter in the state is automatically mailed a ballot starting about a month before election day. In Los Angeles County, more than 70% of voters mailed in ballots or dropped them off, said Mike Sanchez, a spokesperson for the county registrar-recorder. According to the office of the California secretary of state, nearly 90% of voters cast their ballots by mail in the 2022 midterm.

Californians are also allowed to register and vote by provisional ballot on election day. It takes more time to process those ballots.

California ballots had to be postmarked by Nov. 5 to be counted but could be received by election officials up to seven days later. All those mailed ballots have to be checked to see whether the signatures match the...

[TomGuy]

Dems count until they win, because they can.

[Son-Joshua]

No voter I.D. in Cali allows lots of ballot maneuvering.

[bray]

Santa is more real than a CA ballot.

[wildcard_redneck]

"First of all, we have more people than any other state"

And you also have more money and people to count those votes so......

[BigEdLB]

Is there anyway the House could force a new election in these 3 districts?

[Organic Panic]

“First of all, we have more people than any other state.”

So Election Day is a surprise?

[metmom]

Absolutely.

[normbal]

Headline broken.

“Commentary: Christmas is coming, and California’s democrats are still printing ballots. This is a problem?.”

There. I fixed it for you.

[SkyDancer]

They should get those vote counting machines from The Voice - millions of votes counted during the commercial break.

[PIF]

Christmas is coming, and California is still counting ballots. Is that a problem?

—
Yes, because when they are done some time in late summer 2025, CA will hand Kamala the popular vote, ending the so-call Trump mandate.

[dp0622]

What a STUPID argument this person makes.

How long did Florida take? Multiply it by 2 and that’s how long it should take CA.

2 days...at MOST...for EVERYTHING.

This must be taken care of and we can’t just be happy we won 220.

Seats were stolen.

It must be addressed...I dont know which branch addresses it.

[cuz1961]

print a bogus ballot with a bogus identity

purposefully screw up ballot to get it kicked to curing process

separate mail in ballot from envelope thus destroying ability to audit identity with voter roll

let piglousy’s mob culture family daughter and ilk into the curing rooms

cure to the LynchMoboCommie side

count cured ballots till you win

rub it in everyone’s face

party till you puke

[Peter ODonnell]

They will keep counting until every dead person has voted Democrat.

[ridesthemiles]

END THE MAIL IN BASLLOTS & THEN NO “CURING” HAS TO BE DONE.

GO IN PERSON-—

SIGN IN

Present ID

VOTE GET A STICKER

VOTES COUNTED BY 24 hours time

[napscoordinator]

It’s done. Last seat called.