California Secretary of State Shirley Weber is pushing back against efforts to speed up the state’s notoriously slow vote count.

Some close congressional races – and control of the U.S. House – hung in the balance for more than a week after the November election as California elections officials worked their way through mountains of mail-in ballots.

The drawn-out count drew criticism from across the country, from Republicans and Democrats alike. New federal and state proposals would require most ballots be counted within 72 hours and 10 days, respectively.

Hi Folks,

I'm writing to share a few updates and news developments we are keeping an eye on at the California Voter Foundation.

Reducing Ballot Rejection

Last month, I testified before the California State Senate and Constitutional Amendments Committee about vote-by-mail ballot rejection and ballot curing. My slide deck and testimony are available on CVF's web site and reflect over a decade's worth of CVF's work on reforms to reduce ballot rejection. 

To help voters reduce mistakes when casting vote-by-mail ballots, CVF is supporting AB 1072/Pellerin, directing the Secretary of State to provide uniform guidance to counties and voters explaining the best way to address mistakes made when casting ballots. 

We are also working on the final report for our Close Count Transparency Project, which will include many other recommendations to address and accelerate our state's vote-counting process. 

Hi Folks,

Today the California State Senate and Constitutional Amendments Committee will be holding an informational hearing on the topic of ballot curing.

Excerpt:

Californian Tommy Gong is the deputy county clerk-recorder for Contra Costa County which is located in the San Francisco Bay Area and home to over 700,000 registered voters. He has been an election administrator for over two decades, having served in other California counties including San Luis Obispo and Stanislaus.