Meticulous Counting Process Slows Election Results in Los Angeles and Statewide

What happened

Days after the primary elections in California, results for key races—including the Los Angeles mayoral contest and the gubernatorial race—remain incomplete. California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber confirmed that the slow pace of counting is normal for the state, which has approximately 23 million registered voters. The delay is primarily attributed to the meticulous process of validating millions of mail-in ballots, which must be postmarked by election day but can arrive at county offices as late as June 9.

What's new in this update

Former President Donald Trump has intensified his criticism of the process, alleging without evidence that the delay is a sign of 'cheating' by Democrats. In response, Governor Gavin Newsom's office has utilized social media to debunk these claims, describing them as misinformation. Concurrently, early results show Republican Steve Hilton leading the gubernatorial race with 27.6% of the vote, though only an estimated 56% of total ballots have been counted as of Thursday.

Key details

The vote-counting timeline is established by state law, giving California's 58 counties until July 3 to report final results. The process includes verifying signatures on every mail-in envelope against voter registration records. In the Los Angeles mayoral race, incumbent Karen Bass is facing a challenge from Spencer Pratt, but the outcome remains uncertain as thousands of ballots from the City of Industry and other processing centers are still being organized.

Background and context

California transitioned to a system where every registered voter is mailed a ballot, a practice that gained widespread use during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the system increases voter accessibility, it significantly extends the time required to finalize tallies compared to states with stricter in-person voting requirements. Trump has long criticized mail-in voting, recently signing an executive order aimed at limiting the practice, though legal experts question his authority to override state-run election procedures.

What to watch next

The California Secretary of State is scheduled to certify the final election results on July 10, 2026. Observers are monitoring whether the early lead held by Steve Hilton in the governor's race will hold as more ballots from heavily Democratic urban centers like Los Angeles are processed. Additionally, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles has thus far declined to comment on claims regarding investigations into the current vote count.