California deserves national criticism for delaying House election results
Once again, California is causing raised eyebrows across America: Over a week after Election Day, the state has yet to count enough votes in six House races to determine winners.
This has left the question of which party will officially control the body still open.
It seems that California officials have a laid-back work ethic, with just over 80% of the ballots counted in three of the seats.
In the other three races, even less progress has been made, with as little as 57% of the votes reported in the 13th Congressional District.
It appeared that California would take longer to count its votes from the 2024 election than for the next national elections to arrive.
But why the delay?
It’s possible that California, being one of the first states to legalize marijuana, sought solace in it after the GOP’s victories nationwide, which may have slowed down the counting process.
While the rest of the country had completed vote counts in 377 out of 383 House races by that time, California was lagging behind with tens of thousands of votes still unprocessed in key races.
Even before California could finish counting, President-elect Donald Trump had already appointed multiple major positions in the new administration and Republicans had chosen a new Senate leader.
California cannot justify its delay by citing laws that allow officials to accept late mail-in ballots up to a week after the election.
If it takes a full week for election staffers to receive ballots sent in at the last minute, perhaps the state should reconsider this law.
While every state has the right to establish its own election rules, Americans have a strong desire to know election results sooner.
The appropriate response is to criticize and mock California for its inefficiency and tardiness.
With already high rates of crime, drug abuse, homelessness, public disorder, and excessive taxes, California does not need more humiliation.
Just like how Florida improved after the 2000 Bush-Gore election debacle, California can also fix its election process for the sake of the nation.
If not, it will have to face the wrath of Americans.
