Why does it take so long to count votes in California? Here's what to know.

Millions of Californians filled out their 2026 primary election ballots over the last several weeks either at home or at the polls, expressing their constitutional right to vote in a free and fair election. And each election cycle, it takes days — even weeks — to count the millions of mail-in ballots, leading to questions inside and outside the state about whether the process needs changing. As frustrations mount and impatience grows, some experts say the state is simply doing its due diligence to ensure every voter's voice is heard. Last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom sent an open letter to county election officials, urging them to speed up the counting process in order to stave off unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about election security. On Thursday, match-ups in both the California gubernatorial primary and the Los Angeles mayoral race remained up in in the air. Between the two marquee races, just one candidate has been projected to advance: incumbent LA Mayor Karen Bass . "California really cares about counting its ballots," said Christian Grose , USC professor of political science, international relations and public policy who is academic director of the USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy . "And so as a result, we have a lot of different ways to vote." Workers count ballots during the 2026 California primary election at the ballot processing center in the city of Industry on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. …