‘Election lies’ could take hold if results in California take weeks, officials warn

California election officials are sounding the alarm that the state's notoriously slow vote-counting system could create fertile ground for "election lies" to take root, particularly in tightly contested races.

Following the closure of polls, California's 58 county elections offices face the daunting task of verifying millions of absentee ballots. This painstaking process can take weeks, delaying the final outcomes of close contests, including the gubernatorial race. This delay has been a recurring issue in recent election cycles, leaving the nation waiting for results.

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Time is of the essence in preventing election lies from taking hold. We face an assault on our democratic values unlike anything we have seen in our lifetimes, and it’s our job to safeguard those values.

Governor Gavin Newsom has expressed concern, urging county election offices to accelerate their counts. He warned in a letter last month that "Time is of the essence in preventing election lies from taking hold," emphasizing the need to safeguard democratic values against what he described as an unprecedented "assault."

Experts and voting rights advocates highlight that the extended wait erodes voter confidence. Kim Alexander of the California Voter Foundation noted that the delay "is an invitation to false claims about the reliability of the voting process," despite California having a secure and verifiable election system. The lengthy counting period, especially when races are close, provides an opening for unsubstantiated claims about electoral integrity, a tactic previously employed by the Trump White House.

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Like it or not, the more time that passes between election day and when results are known, the more voter confidence erodes. It’s an invitation to false claims about the reliability of the voting process even though we have the most accessible, secure and verifiable election system in the country.