California is still counting ballots. What’s taking so long?

[Ray]

22 days after the election, California still has 265,000 ballots left to count. As a result, the nation is waiting for the results of a House of Representatives race that will have a major impact on the balance of power. 

In California’s House District 13, Democratic challenger Adam Gray is leading Republican incumbent John Duarte by 182 votes. That’s as of Wednesday morning. 99% of the ballots have been counted. 

If Duarte wins, Republicans will have a 221-214 majority. If Gray wins, Republicans will have a 220-215 majority. But when you take into consideration Republicans who are joining the Trump administration – the GOP total could be closer to 217, meaning the House will nearly be an even split. 

So what is taking California so long? State law gives county election officials 30 days to count every ballot and conduct a required audit. During that time, election officials count ballots received before and on election day. 

They also wait for ballots to arrive in the mail. As long as vote-by-mail ballots are postmarked by election day and received within 7 days of the election, California law states they must be counted. California also has what’s called a ballot cure process, which allows voters to fix a mistake that would otherwise make their ballot invalid, such as an improper signature. 

It’s a big process for a state with 22 million registered voters and 58 counties.