Trump cries ‘steal’ over slow California vote count, but anti-fraud system works, say experts
State’s tortoise-like pace is byproduct of system of verifications and opportunities for voters to fix errors
TL;DR
- California's slow vote counting is a result of a system designed for accuracy and fraud prevention, not speed.
- Donald Trump and other Republicans have accused California of election rigging due to the delayed results.
- The system includes electronic and human verification of mail-in ballot signatures and allows voters 22 days to correct errors ('cure' ballots).
- While effective, this process causes delays, leading to criticism from political observers and figures.
- Experts suggest potential improvements, such as increased funding for counties to process ballots faster and possibly tightening ballot curing timelines.
- The bottleneck on election day, when many voters submit mail-in ballots, exacerbates the delay.
- Some hope voters will adopt a culture of submitting ballots earlier, and counties are implementing systems to speed up walk-in ballot processing.
- Despite potential improvements, California is likely to remain a target for fraud allegations due to its political significance and the ease of spreading disinformation.