California's Secretary of State, Shirley Weber, recently took to social media to explain the state's slow election vote processing time, attributing it to the high costs involved.
Weber, a Democrat, stated that speeding up the process would not enhance accuracy but would instead inflate the costs. "To speed up the counting of ballots that arrive after Election Day and deliver a full same-day tally, one California county alone would need to expand to 950 polling places, driving costs upwards to $110,000 per election. Faster counting doesnt increase accuracy it only makes it more costly," Weber posted.
According to the Daily Caller, California is among a few states notorious for delayed ballot counting on Election Day. It took the state five weeks to officially count all ballots and declare results after the November 2024 election. This sluggish pace has sparked interest among some state legislators to expedite the process.
Democrat California Assemblymember Marc Berman introduced AB5 in December 2024, which aims to mandate election officials to commence the canvass for an election no later than the Thursday following the election. This would ensure the canvass is completed within ten days of the election and is open to the public.
However, in a countermove, Republican state legislators introduced the Election Results Accountability Act in April. Sponsored by six of Californias nine Republican members of Congress, this bill would require California to count and publicly report a minimum of 90% of the ballots in federal elections within 72 hours of polls closing. Democrats, however, have criticized this legislation. Senator Alex Padilla, for instance, described it as "another Republican attempt to disenfranchise voters."
"California has nearly 23 million registered voters, so it takes time to accurately and efficiently count the millions of votes cast each election," Padilla told The Sacramento Bee. "We must always prioritize an accurate count over a rushed process that may not capture the will of the people."
California, despite being one of the highest taxed states in the country, has been grappling with numerous issues such as rising crime rates, an escalating homeless population, and devastating wildfires. The state, currently facing a $12 billion deficit, has been criticized for its fiscal management.
In 2024, Democrat California Governor Gavin Newsom reportedly spent $3.4 billion from the states general fund on an illegal migrant health care program, as reported by CalMatters. The outlet revealed that the administration not only overspent on the program by $2.7 billion, but that more illegal migrants signed up than the state had anticipated.
California's focus has now shifted to other projects, such as its infamous high-speed rail. The California High-Speed Rail Authority recently demanded the Department of Transportation retract their threat to withdraw an estimated $4 billion from the states long-delayed project. The project, initially intended to be completed by 2020 for $33 billion, has now exceeded $100 billion, with only a 119-mile initial segment completed out of the planned 800-mile rail line.
The state, home to one of the largest homeless populations among U.S. states, has spent billions on the issue over the years, yet no solution appears to have been found.
A 2024 audit of the California Interagency Council on Homelessness revealed that despite billions being allocated, the state lacks "current information on the ongoing costs and outcomes of its homelessness programs."
Adding to the state's mounting problems, Los Angeles faced massive wildfire destruction in January, with officials like Newsom and Democrat Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass criticized for a lack of response and preparation.
In February, Newsom requested Congress to approve nearly $40 billion in aid to help affected areas, with total damage estimates surpassing $250 billion, as reported by the Associated Press.
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