Why California result is delayed weeks after US election

More than two weeks after the conclusion of the November 5, 2024, election in the United States, the results of California, one of the country’s largest and most populous states, are still delayed and yet to be announced.

Tribune Online reports that former President Donald Trump emerged as the 47th president of the United States after defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election. 

The Republican candidate, who won the popular vote, secured 312 electoral votes, surpassing the 270 needed to win the presidency, while his Democratic opponent, Harris, garnered 226 electoral votes.

However, California’s results, home to nearly 39 million people as of 2023, remain undisclosed. As of the time of this report, the state still had at least 300,000 ballots to count.

In this article, Tribune Online takes a look at the main reason for the delay in announcing California’s election results.

Reasons Behind the Delay

According to Newsweek, California’s electoral system is reputed to be one of the slowest in the United States to report its results. This is largely attributed to its size and reliance on mail-in ballots. The state’s Secretary of State, Shirley Weber, highlighted that most of California’s votes are cast by mail, which takes significantly longer than in-person voting.

Mail-in ballots undergo a rigorous verification process. Each ballot must have its signature validated before being opened and counted, ensuring the integrity of the election. This meticulous process, while necessary for accuracy, contributes to delays.

“We have to make sure that’s the person who actually sent the ballot in,” Weber explained in an interview with KTXL. “You’d want us to be accurate. You’d want us to verify signatures and ensure that every vote cast is legitimate.”

ALSO READ: ‘India counted 640 million votes in 1 day’: Elon Musk criticises delayed California result

Due to similar factors, election officials noted that California’s final results have taken weeks to be certified in previous elections. Critics, however, argue that the state needs to quicken its reporting to build trust in the electoral system.

Republican Assemblyman Joe Patterson expressed concerns that the delays sow distrust among voters, stating, “Just because it’s been a problem for a long time doesn’t mean we can’t solve it or shouldn’t solve it.”

Likewise,  Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X and close ally of President-elect Donald Trump, took a swipe at the process, drawing a stark comparison between how India was able to successfully count 640 million votes in a single day during Sabha elections, and how official announcement is still pendinmg in California, describing it as “tragic.”

Progress Made So Far

As of Friday, November 22, 315,705 ballots were still uncounted, accounting for approximately 2% of the state’s total votes. 

Most of these uncounted ballots are in Los Angeles County, the state’s largest. Additionally, 118,000 ballots across the state require “curing,” a process where voters can correct issues like unverifiable signatures to ensure their ballots are counted by the deadline.

California counties have until December 3 to finalize their results, and the official certification of results is scheduled for December 13. 

ALSO READ TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE