California, like the rest of the country, voted on November 5. But unlike most of the rest of the United States which had results the next day or soon after, California is still counting a month later.
Los Angeles County will certify its results December 3 and the State on December 5. As of December 3, election officials statewide still had more than 27,000 ballots to count and more than 91,000 to potentially “cure” according to the Secretary of State’s office.
Yet, California officials were concerned because only 69.3% of the state’s population voted.
Governor Gavin Newsom
It is time for Governor Gavin Newsom to step up and take a lead on this significant issue (not enough voters and a monthlong election). He is super busy now trying to block the possible incoming President Donald Trump’s policies, such as cutting off funding to the bullet train.
What can Newsom do? He can make it easier for California residents by mailing ballots to every registered voter, dead or alive.
What? They already do that? Great, one less thing for Newsom to do.
Can people in comas vote? I hope so. Sometimes the only way to approach some of the choices on the ballot is to be unconscious or drunk. And don’t worry if you can’t sign, an X is acceptable in this state.
Even if you moved out of state, that ballot still comes to one’s old California address. Do you forward it, or do you fill it out and take a chance on the signature? They can’t check them all, right?
A lot of people seem upset by ballot harvesting. . .If some nice, young person shows up at my doorstep and offers to take the ballot to a center, it helps the environment, sort of like ride sharing – only ballot sharing. And if I haven’t been able to read through everything on the ballot and that person can give me some good tips about what or who to vote for, what’s wrong with that?
In order to make it easier to vote, California should open centers a month before the election. Think of it sort of like putting Christmas decorations up before Thanksgiving. What? They do that? Well. . .maybe voting centers could offer refreshments to entice more voters. Maybe lattes and a blueberry muffin if one shows up to vote.
If California really wanted to help voters, propositions could be written in simple language, so that even those that have a four-year college degree can understand what they are voting for.
Here’s another idea, make voting more valuable. If you need an ID to buy booze, make voting as relevant as rum.
Finally, in an age of Instagram,TikTok, the internet, and texting, people lose interest in something that drags on. There must be a way to have election results the next day or at least the next week.
I know that California is proud of ballot curing, but curing is for making pickles and sauerkraut, not elections. Given that California was a one-time leader in technology, it makes no sense that workers individually examine signatures to see if they think it matches a prior signature.
Now, if someone forgets to sign a ballot, or puts the wrong date, that voter has to be contacted, so they can change, add or amend it, which drags the election results on unmercifully.
Maybe they should put my fourth-grade teacher Mrs. Folkert in charge of ballots. If there was no name at the top of the paper, that person didn’t get credit and it went in the trash can.
Make elections a day, make them valuable and let people know immediately what their vote means.
By now, Californians have lost interest, including Governor Newsom, who is already running for the 2028 Presidential spot.
Voting muffins to entice more Californians to cast ballots.
All so true! A couple of years ago I tested the process by having a male friend sign my ballot. His signature looked NOTHING like mine. Sure enough, within a week or so I received an email from the CA Secretary of State saying that my ballot had been received and COUNTED!! The difference in signatures was evident a mile away.