VotingMatters

Democratic leaders in California agree that speeding up the vote count would be nice. But they refuse to pursue any changes that would decrease voter access despite voter frustration with the slow trickle of results.

CalMatters partnerships director Dan Hu drove 3,000 miles, teamed up with 30 local partners and hosted more than 600 people at VotingMatters events, presenting nonpartisan election information and fostering community discussions.

California has new rules meant to speed up ballot counting, but elections experts and county officials say close races could still take weeks to resolve.

Newsom said the new law was just the first in a “mosaic” of legislation to address the “legitimate anxiety” that voters have about the safety and security of California’s elections.

Recent polling suggests it’s unlikely that two Republicans would lock Democrats out of the November gubernatorial election. But some liberal activists are still panicking about the possibility of a MAGA governor. Their solution could delay California’s already slow ballot-counting.

Our 2026 primary election event details are available, and we also have a DIY kit to host your own event.

The High Court's decision guts the Voting Rights Act’s impetus to draw districts so non-white ethnic groups get congressional representation.

California's top vote-counter, Secretary of State Shirley Weber, faces a challenge from Republican Don Wagner in the 2026 election.

California makes it easy to vote, with mail-in ballots and registration at the DMV. An upcoming ballot measure would add new voter ID requirements compelling people to prove their citizenship before they cast a ballot.

California’s notoriously long ballot-counting process has sown distrust in the state’s election systems. But experts can’t agree on how to speed up the process; some say a delayed result is better than potentially disenfranchising voters.