California’s primary elections held on June 2, 2026, are experiencing slow vote counting, with some tight races potentially taking days or weeks to resolve [1, 2]. The state’s 58 county election offices face a heavy influx of last-minute absentee ballots requiring lengthy verification procedures [1].
More than 25% of ballots in California’s 2024 presidential election arrived too late to be counted on election day. Experts expect this percentage may rise in 2026 due to strategic late voting by some people [1]. This backlog stems from California’s universal mail-in voting system and election rules allowing ballots postmarked by election day to be accepted up to one week later [2].
The delays leave the nation awaiting results from key contests, including the fight for control of the U.S. House of Representatives [1]. The governor’s race is a volatile three-way competition between Democrats Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer and Republican Steve Hilton [1].
Critics harshly fault California’s election administration. Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley called the situation "embarrassing" and said, "California's inability to competently handle the basic administration of democracy is embarrassing" [2]. Political analyst Nate Silver said, "‘It's going to take us several weeks to tell you who won the election’ is failed state sh-t and should be much more stigmatized" [2].
Defenders say the slow count reflects efforts to maximize voter turnout and protect access. Democratic strategist Addisu Demissie noted, "The delayed count is in service of maximizing turnout and access. LA County is bigger than 40 states, but, well, a county" [2]. David Dayen of The American Prospect added that fraud prevention protocols, like signature checks against master files, extend counting times [2].
Voter confidence suffers the longer results remain unknown. Kim Alexander of the California Voter Foundation warned, "Like it or not, the more time that passes between election day and when results are known, the more voter confidence erodes" despite the system’s security [1].
The counting pace this year follows trends from 2024 when over a quarter of California’s votes arrived too late for same-day tallies [1]. Results updates are expected to continue over the coming days and weeks as officials process the backlog.
