California Legislature Considers Bills to Accelerate Vote Counting Amid Rising Mail Ballot Rejections
The California Legislature is considering several bills aimed at speeding up the vote counting process in response to criticisms of the state's lengthy election result timelines. A recent budget deal allocated $40 million to election offices for staffing, technology, and outreach to encourage early ballot submission. Two key bills, AB2604 and SB1420, propose changes to streamline the process, including allowing mail-in ballots to be processed as in-person ballots and expanding electronic signature curing. The push for these changes comes amid a reported increase in mail-in ballot rejections, with 1.73% of ballots rejected in the June primary, the highest in over a decade. 
