Checking In on Vote Counting

With scrutiny over electoral processes having become a talking point in the run-up to the 2024 election, some states are still counting votes. (WaPo)

The numbers: As of November 14, more than a week after Election Day, 1.7 million ballots remained uncounted in California and four House races were yet to be called.

• By 36 hours after Election Day, California had counted 56% of votes, while 46 states had exceeded 90%.

• House races in Alaska, Iowa and Ohio still don’t have winners.

On the other hand: In stark contrast, Florida had 99% of its votes counted within a few hours of polls closing.

Why is Florida so fast? The Sunshine State allows election officials to process ballots before Election Day, sets a firm receipt deadline for mail ballots at 7 p.m. on Election Day and uses optical ballot scanners in every precinct to speed up tabulation and catch errors on-site.

Why is California so slow? Part of the reason why California is slow at counting votes is because its all-mail election system includes extended deadlines for receiving and verifying ballots, along with additional steps to process mail-in votes that often arrive on or after Election Day.

The vibes: According to a Pew Research Center poll from October, 92% of all voters want the outcome of the election known within days of Election Day, with 75% of Trump supporters and 60% of Harris supporters calling it very important.

Bubba’s Two Cents

We can catch rockets from the sky, AI’s already so sophisticated it’s solved some major problems in scientific fields and we may have found the cure for obesity, yet we can’t count election votes?