Four days into the primary election, California had counted only about two-thirds of the votes cast, leaving some of the state's most important races, including the race for governor and mayor of Los Angeles, undecided.

The situation has once again put the Californian electoral system, which largely depends on voting by mail, under the microscope. Although authorities defend the process as one of the safest in the country, delays fuel criticism and political questions each electoral cycle.

The weight of voting by mail

Experts explained to The New York Times that the main factor behind the slowness is the enormous volume of ballots sent or delivered in the last days before the election. Each envelope must go through a signature verification, opening, sorting and inspection process before the vote can be counted.

Kim Alexander, president of the California Voter Foundation, described the phenomenon as the “pig in the python” effect, a metaphor that refers to the funnel that is generated when millions of ballots arrive practically at the same time.

Additionally, each of the state's 58 counties administers its own elections and decides how much to invest in staff, technology and infrastructure. This causes significant differences in counting speed.

“Local officials are doing everything they can,” said Jesse Salinas, Yolo County registrar of voters. As he explained, greater resources would allow the process to be accelerated without compromising electoral security.

Precision before speed

While states such as Arizona, Colorado or Washington have managed to report results more quickly despite widely using voting by mail, specialists point out that California has chosen to prioritize accessibility and exhaustive review of each vote cast.

La secretaria de Estado de California, Shirley Weber, reiteró esa postura al afirmar que “la precisión prima sobre la rapidez”. According to the official, taking the necessary time protects the rights of voters and strengthens electoral integrity.

The delay has also been taken advantage of politically; President Donald Trump assured without presenting evidence that the slow count shows that “the elections are being rigged.” For his part, Governor Gavin Newsom asked counties to speed up tabulation to prevent misinformation from gaining ground.

Looking ahead to the November elections, analysts told the Times that the pressure will be even greater. If control of the House of Representatives depends on competitive districts in California, each late ballot could become the center of a new political battle.