States Push for Timely Ballot Counting Amid Concerns
ATLANTA — President Donald Trump and many Republicans have consistently criticized states for taking too long to count ballots after Election Day. This year, a noticeable effort has emerged to tackle this issue.
Trump’s recent executive order on elections, signed in March but facing legal challenges, addresses a key reason for delays in vote counting: allowing mail-in ballots to be counted even if they arrive after Election Day. The U.S. Supreme Court is currently considering a case from Illinois that challenges this practice, among other Republican-backed lawsuits aimed at enforcing an Election Day deadline for mail-in ballots.
States such as Kansas, North Dakota, and Utah have enacted new laws ensuring that mailed ballots must be received by Election Day itself, doing away with any grace period.
Even in California, known for lengthy vote counting processes that have drawn Republican criticism, a bill is under discussion in the Democratic-controlled Legislature to speed up the counting of ballots.
Federal Law and Ballot Deadlines
Trump’s executive order argues that federal law mandates all ballots be received by Election Day. “Allowing ballots to be counted after this date would be like letting individuals vote three days after the election, which is simply absurd,” his order states.
Trump has often questioned the legitimacy of late ballots, although there is no substantial evidence suggesting they lead to widespread fraud. His concerns about timely results on election night are intertwined with claims regarding sudden large updates to vote counts in the aftermath of the 2020 election.
But there are clear guidelines for ballots received after Election Day: they must be signed, dated, and postmarked by the U.S. Postal Service before the election deadline. Historically, allowing late-arriving ballots hasn’t typically been a partisan issue, with some states like California permitting it while others, such as Colorado and Indiana, do not.
Legislative Actions in Response to Concerns
Since the 2020 elections, Republican lawmakers in five states have passed laws to ensure mail ballots be submitted by Election Day. For instance, Kansas has stopped accepting mail ballots up to three days late, a change set to take effect for the upcoming midterms. Kansas state Senator Mike Thompson likened extending deadlines to giving a football team extra time to score after the game has ended.
“This approach ensures a uniform end to the election process, so every voter is on the same timetable,” he stated.
California’s Ongoing Challenges and Solutions
California has faced ongoing criticism for slow ballot counting. Congressman Bryan Steil from Wisconsin emphasized that California’s delays should not keep the entire nation waiting for election results, attributing them to lax election laws.
As the state with the highest number of registered voters, California automatically issues mail ballots to all registered voters for each election, with a deadline for completed ballots set a week beyond Election Day, as long as they are postmarked by then. Data collected showed that a significant portion of voters wait until Election Day to return their ballots, complicating the counting process.
To address these timing issues, California’s election officials have proposed legislation that retains a 30-day certification period but mandates that most ballots be counted within 13 days post-election. This aims to enhance voter confidence in the electoral system amid rising concerns, especially among Republican voters.
Assemblyman Marc Berman, responsible for the proposal, noted the importance of concrete deadlines to instill trust in the electoral process. “We can’t ignore the fears that people hold about the integrity of elections,” he asserted.
While California’s bureaucratic challenges continue, the potential for reform may help alleviate some of the skepticism surrounding its electoral outcomes, fostering a healthier democracy for all.
