Guy Benson, a columnist for the Washington Examiner, criticized California's election system after the state's primary elections, describing the process as "embarrassing" and "third-world nonsense." He noted that the high use of mail-in voting in California contributes to a longer vote-counting process, as election officials must verify ballots before certifying results, which can take several days after Election Day.
Benson pointed to Florida as a model for efficient vote counting, arguing that California's prolonged process undermines public confidence. He stated, "If a state like Florida can vote all the ways that it does and have tens of millions of people in that state, and they can deliver timely, reliable results on election night, that is possible anywhere else in this country."
Concerns about California's vote-counting process have been raised throughout the election cycle, with candidates in the primary races questioning the speed of ballot tabulation. Republican Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt expressed worries about the uncertainty created by the lengthy counting process, especially as his lead over incumbent Nithya Raman narrowed. In California's top-two primary system, only the two candidates with the highest vote totals advance to the general election.
As of June 2, 2026, California's primary election had thousands of ballots that remained unprocessed, according to the state's ballot-tracking website.
