CVF in the News

What’s taking California so long to count its ballots from Election Day?

By Jason Henry, Pasadena Star News, November 16, 2024

Excerpts:

More than 11 days after polls closed around the nation and Donald Trump was declared president-elect of the United States, California is still moving methodically through roughly 800,000 uncounted ballots that are holding up final tallies in several contests.

As of Saturday, Nov. 16, two congressional races — including a local matchup between Republican Michelle Steel and Democrat Derek Tran in the 45th Congressional District, who are separated by just 58 votes — remained too close to call. Those races could play key roles in whether Republicans are able expand their new majority in the House, yet it could be days, or even weeks, until clear winners emerge.

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A Look at the Close Count Transparency Project

By Mary Franklin Harvin, CalMatters, aired on Capitol Public Radio, November 13, 2024

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These California toss-ups helped decide which party controls Congress

By Yue Stella Yu, Cal Matters, November 13, 2024

Excerpt:

In 2020, California Democrats lost four of the seven competitive congressional seats they had just gained amid a “blue wave” two years earlier. In 2022, Republicans gained one more seat in California and took control of the U.S. House.

This election, it is Republicans who must play defense.

From the Central Valley to southern California, Democrats are fighting to flip five GOP-held seats in the state’s most competitive contests. They are also aiming to keep a competitive seat now held by Democratic Rep. Katie Porter, who has narrowly won the district for three terms and is not seeking re-election this year.

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Some California House races haven’t been decided yet. Campaigns are making sure every ballot counts

By Angie Orellana Hernandez and Faith E. Pinho, Los Angeles Times, November 13, 2024

Excerpt:

The election is over, and no more ballots can be cast. But campaigns in tight congressional races across California are scrambling to make sure their supporters’ votes are counted.

Through the increasingly common process known as “ballot curing,” campaigns are contacting voters whose ballots were not counted because of a technicality and giving them a chance to correct their mistakes. That could mean asking them to correct their address or add their signature to an envelope they forgot to sign. 

The stakes are especially high in California’s battleground districts, where voters could determine which party will control the House of Representatives next year.

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Decisive election waits for California’s results. What’s the hold-up?

By Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, November 12, 2024

Excerpt:

It’s been nearly a week since election day, and California is still counting ballots, imposing an agonizing wait on a nation wondering who will lead the next U.S. House of Representatives. 

It isn’t a surprise that California is taking its time to verify, process and count the ballots of its more than 22 million registered voters. 

While some might see the delay as a problem, Russia Chavis Cardenas, the voting rights and redistricting program manager for California Common Cause, called it a virtue.

“It means elections officials are doing everything they can to count every legitimate ballot fairly and accurately,” Cardenas said. 

California has an estimated 5 million ballots that still need to be counted, according to the most recent report of unprocessed ballots by the California secretary of state.

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California Counts Methodically as House Control Hangs in the Balance

Nine of the 16 races that will determine which party controls the House of Representatives are in California. No state takes longer to tally votes.

By Soumya Karlamangla, Orlando Mayorquín and Coral Murphy Marcos, New York Times, November 11, 2024

Excerpts:

The nation is again waiting on California to finish tallying votes almost a week after Election Day.

The state has most of the remaining undecided races that will determine the balance of power in the House, and its slow vote-counting process has drawn greater scrutiny — and some scorn — as each day goes by.

While many states tallied the bulk of their ballots within hours of polls’ closing on Tuesday, California still had nearly five million to count going into this holiday weekend, just under a third of all of the ballots that were cast there.

Leaders in California, the nation’s most populous state, defend the deliberate process as necessary to ensure that the tallies are accurate and that as many voters participate as possible. They say their generous provisions for voters give the public greater confidence.

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Democrats move to ‘protect’ California from Trump

CA’s long vote count

By Lynn La, Cal Matters, November 8, 2024

Excerpt:

California Democrats and their allies are battening down the hatches for Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January.

On Thursday Gov. Gavin Newsom called for a special session to prepare the state for likely legal challenges against the Trump administration, write CalMatters Capitol reporters Jeanne Kuang and Alexei Koseff. During Trump’s first term, the state sued the federal government more than 100 times, and is expected to come to blows again over regulations on reproductive rights, immigration, gun control and more.

But taking the feds to court doesn’t come cheap. The session, which will begin Dec. 2 when the new Legislature is sworn in, will mostly focus on approving funding for California’s Department of Justice and other state agencies — perhaps as much as $100 million — to file “robust affirmative litigation.” 

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How California is ensuring transparency as ballot counting begins

By Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, November 5, 2024

Excerpt:

Over 7.6 million ballots were cast in California before the final days of voting, but the counting process will take days if not weeks. The uncertainty, heightened by the state’s universal mail-in voting system, may fuel doubts and conspiracy theories about election integrity. In response, state and local officials are working to reassure the public that all ballots are secure and will be counted accurately.

To enhance transparency, the California Voter Foundation launched an initiative to monitor ballot counting in seven key congressional districts, providing updates on the count and candidate margins starting Tuesday until Dec. 5. 

“We have more competitive races and narrower margins in California today than we used to,” Kim Alexander, the foundation’s president, said in a statement. “In some contests, practically every single ballot must be counted before a winner can be determined.” 

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Secretary of State Shirley Weber | Early Vote Tracking | Last Minute Voting Tips

By Vicki Gonzalez, CapRadio, November 5, 2024

Excerpt:

Many voters might be opening their ballots for the first time, with just hours to go before polls close on Election Day. Kim Alexander is the President and Founder of the California Voter Foundation and provides some last-minute tips on filling out your ballot, as well as the importance of participating in the elections process. (Full Audio)

 

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Answering Last Minute Voter Questions Before Election

By Keith Mizuguchi, KQED, November 5, 2024

Excerpt:

It’s the final day to vote in the 2024 general election. While millions of Californians have already cast their ballots, many more will head to the polls Tuesday to vote on local measures, state propositions and our next president.

Kim Alexander, President of the California Voter Foundation, says if you haven’t voted yet, there’s still time. “Vote as early as you can. It could get busy. You are entitled under California law to take up to two hours off of work to vote. You needed to ask for that last Friday from your boss. So if you didn’t, they may not grant it, but it doesn’t hurt to ask,” Alexander said.

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