California's Long Ballot Count May Be Trump's Next Target In The War Over Voting

The latest salvo successful President Donald Trump’s run against mail-in voting arrived Monday, arsenic he announced he wants to “lead a movement” against message ballots and advocator alternatively for in-person and insubstantial ballots, which he says are “faster, and leaves NO DOUBT, astatine nan extremity of nan evening, arsenic to who WON, and who LOST, nan Election.”

Trump has criticized mail-in ballots since their accelerated emergence successful 2020, erstwhile aft years of slower maturation they exploded arsenic a cardinal invention of nan Covid election. But nan logistics of counting mail-in votes helped support nan federation successful suspense complete who won for astir 4 days aft polls closed.

This latest push by Trump whitethorn besides person nan convenience of being nan latest statement of onslaught successful nan redistricting wars. In California, authorities Democrats are attempting their ain mid-decade gerrymander to antagonistic nan Trump-led push by Republicans to tie much friends districts successful Texas. And California sticks retired arsenic 1 of nan astir salient embracers of mail-in voting — and among nan slowest to count them.

Overall, mail-in voting accounted for 30% of nan full ballot nationwide successful 2024, down from its 2020 highest of 43%. However, successful California, nan believe made up 81% of nan full vote, according to a recent report from nan Election Assistance Commission.

Mail-in voting wide has proved to beryllium a challenging process for galore predetermination administrators, pinch hurdles including elector and ballot verification and logistical issues for illustration opening envelopes, keeping materials unafraid and, successful galore cases, hand-counting. Essentially, each of nan processes that hap successful personification erstwhile personification votes astatine a polling spot — particularly checking successful and verifying their registration — tin heap up accelerated erstwhile it happens by mail.

But California has had immoderate of nan top difficulties sorting done message votes quickly. Of nan states pinch nan highest stock of mail-in voting successful nan 2024 election, California group a benchmark for slowest advancement nan greeting aft nan election.

While Democrats person achieved dependable occurrence astatine nan statewide level successful caller years, California’s prolonged ballot counts near nan federation successful suspense complete which statement would triumph power of nan House of Representatives for days aft nan 2022 and 2024 elections.

Northern California’s Lake County didn’t scope nan halfway people tabulating its 2024 predetermination results until much than 2 weeks aft predetermination night. Responding to scrutiny, nan elections supervisor complained, “Why do we request to rush?”

Following nan election, state legislation was introduced requiring counties to reason a mostly of their counting process 13 days aft nan election. The measure passed nan authorities Assembly pinch bipartisan support and is successful a authorities Senate committee seeking backing sign-off.

Meanwhile, Trump faces precocious legal and governmental hurdles to changing mail-in laws connected his ain astatine nan national level. Without caller national laws, states person wide latitude to group their ain predetermination procedures. And his caller station whitethorn conscionable person been apical of mind for him because of a punctual from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But it’s besides happening arsenic California authorities legislators convened Monday to move guardant on plans for a legislature map that, if approved by voters, would target 5 Republicans to suffer their seats successful nan upcoming midterms. The effort was sparked by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom arsenic a consequence to Texas Republicans’ legislature redraw seeking to fortify their majority.

It whitethorn put nan redistricting wars and Trump’s renewed crusade connected mail-in votes connected a governmental collision people successful nan Golden State.