You’re probably thinking about how you want to spend the upcoming Fourth of July weekend. Maybe on the beach, at a barbecue or wherever there are fireworks in your holiday-happy spirit.
That makes it a great time to talk about elections and vote counting.
California elections take place every two years, in spring and fall. Every two years, the state faces a chorus of outrage across the country decrying how long it takes to count the millions of ballots cast and determine the winner in just a few rounds.
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Then, just as suddenly, the noise dies down, the focus shifts, and the electoral process fades into oblivion until the next round of howling protests.
Just this word, Proceedingscan strangle the subject and extinguish life.
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So it’s good news that lawmakers in Sacramento have used this inattentive time to address the biennial hullabaloo and perhaps silence some people.
The budget Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Monday includes an additional $40 million aimed at speeding up vote counting in California, and even if the total is less than half the $90 million demanded by reform-minded advocates, it’s still something.
The bulk of the money will go toward modernizing personnel, technology and equipment. Another $10 million will go toward voter education and outreach. Another $750,000 will be used to combat election misinformation. (A $3.50 roll of duct tape would be a far more economical way to address the latter if taped to the inflammatory mouth of America’s chief election denier. More on him in a moment.)
“While the budgeted amount is less than we recommended, it still represents a significant investment that prioritizes timely election results,” said Kim Alexander, head of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation, which is spearheading election reform efforts in the state.
A surprising decision by the Supreme Court
In fact, the budget injection came on the same day that the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the right of states to count mail-in ballots postmarked on Election Day, even if they arrive days later. In California, where most voters send their ballots by mail, this delay time can be up to a week.
It was a surprising decision by this most pro-Trump court, a setback for the testy president and a decision that will have very little impact on the extended vote count in California.
That’s because these late-arriving ballots have little to do with the time it takes to count them. My colleague Kevin Rector reported that there were more than 406,000 late mail-in ballots in California in 2024 — representing just about 2.5% of the more than 16 million ballots cast. The long count is a result of the large number of ballots being dropped into mailboxes or arriving at processing facilities on or just before Election Day – and is it really so bad for voters to pay attention to late developments before casting their ballot?
(Does the name Eric Swalwell ring a bell?)
California legislators made a conscious decision that voting should be convenient, not burdensome, in order to maximize voter turnout. This is a good thing if you believe in our system of representative democracy. The voice of the people and so on.
There wasn’t much excitement — especially about mail-in voting, which has become increasingly popular and involves all sorts of time-consuming steps like signature verification — until Trump complained of fraud and made other spurious claims. This is what happens when an irritable, whiny loser sits in the bully pulpit; Trump is perfectly willing to burn people in good faith and tear down functioning systems if it appeases his eggshell ego.
An election, not a football game
Many political commentators are complicit in Trump’s arson.
As they await the election results in California, they behave like sulking birthday children forced to leave their presents unopened until all the children have eaten their cake. They talk about voters losing confidence in the electoral process without explaining the laudable reason for the delay – the pursuit of maximum voter turnout – or acknowledging how their impatience is contributing to the feeling that something is amiss.
Essentially, the pursuit of instant results and instant gratification is much more about satisfying the curiosity of pundits and political junkies than it is about widespread excitement among voters who are clinging to the vote count as if it were a World Cup game.
Is there a soul out there who feels that there wasn’t enough time between June 8, when the Associated Press called the Los Angeles mayoral race, and June 9, when the gubernatorial race was called, for the candidates to make their case and for voters – who have not yet made up their minds – to make their decision?
Meet up with family and friends. Enjoy some barbecue. Watch fireworks light up the night sky. There is plenty of time for speeches, television ads and campaign mailers to bombard the state before the Nov. 3 election.
Truth be told, most Californians welcome the break.
What else you should read
The required reading: What you should know about the $351.7 billion state budget Newsom just signed
The Deep Dive: The costs of the Iran war will continue despite the end of the conflict, experts say
The LA Times Special: This California bill is so bad that I agree with a Trump Republican
See you next time,
mzb
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https://www.latimes.com/politics/newsletter/2026-07-02/california-vote-counting-trump-supreme-court
