INTRODUCTION

California should be able to conduct elections that are both secure and timely. Every legal ballot should be counted, but voters should not have to wait weeks to find out the outcome of an election.

The state routinely mobilizes personnel and resources during emergencies. When election offices face massive post-election backlogs, California should do the same. By temporarily assigning qualified state employees, deploying rapid-response support teams, and funding expanded county operations, California can accelerate ballot processing, reduce delays, and provide voters with election results more quickly while maintaining the integrity and security of the process. California is the fourth largest economy in the world, and home of the technology industry that has so dramatically changed the world. When it comes to elections, it’s time we acted like it.

Ultimately, California needs broader reforms to its election system. But in the short term, for the primary election of June 2nd 2026, we cannot continue with a process that leaves millions of voters waiting weeks for results. Governor Newsom should immediately issue an emergency Executive Order designed to bring ballot-processing backlogs to a close as quickly as possible, with the goal of guaranteeing complete and verified election results within 48 hours of the deadline for receiving mail-in ballots: final election results by 8pm on Thursday 11th June. If India can count over 600 million ballots in 24 hours, surely California can count a tiny fraction of that number in twice the time.

A SYSTEM THAT ISN’T WORKING

California’s election delays are not an isolated problem. They are yet another symptom of a government that has stopped delivering basic results.

Californians have been promised a high-speed rail project that has barely begun after years of delays and billions of dollars in spending. State and local governments have spent billions addressing homelessness while encampments remain a visible crisis in communities across the state. Now California once again finds itself waiting weeks for election results after fewer than ten million ballots were cast. It is an extraordinary and unacceptable shambles. California has become a global laughing stock for its inability to conduct elections in an efficient, timely manner.

Californians have been conditioned to accept delays that would be unacceptable in almost any other area of government. Elections should be secure, accurate, and timely. The fact that voters can wait weeks for final results is evidence that the system is not functioning as it should.

This is not about counting fewer ballots or lowering standards. It is about basic governing competence, which has completely collapsed in California, it now seems. Voters deserve an election system that is both accurate and efficient.

PLAN FOR CHANGE

California’s election laws should be reformed to deliver faster, more transparent, and more trustworthy election results.

The following reforms would dramatically accelerate election results while preserving election integrity:

• Require vote-by-mail ballots to be received by Election Day rather than accepted for several days afterward if postmarked by Election Day.

• Mail ballots only to voters who specifically request them rather than automatically sending ballots to every registered voter.

• Provide free voter identification cards to all registered voters and require identification for in-person voting.

• Expand pre-election ballot processing so counties can verify signatures, prepare ballots for tabulation, and complete administrative review before Election Day.

None of these reforms would eliminate the need to count every legal ballot. But together they would dramatically reduce post-election delays, improve transparency, strengthen confidence in the process, and move California toward a system where voters know the outcome of elections in hours, not weeks.

EMERGENCY ELECTION COUNT ACCELERATOR CORPS

While broader reforms are implemented, Governor Newsom should act immediately to accelerate the count in the primary election of June 2026.

The Governor should establish an Emergency Election Count Accelerator Corps by temporarily deploying available state employees from non-essential administrative positions to county election offices experiencing significant ballot-processing backlogs.

These personnel would work under the supervision of county Registrars of Voters and assist with ballot processing, administrative review, data entry, ballot preparation, and other support functions permitted under existing law.

The state should also create regional election surge teams that can be rapidly deployed to counties facing the largest backlogs, ensuring staffing resources are directed where they are needed most.

In addition, California should establish an Election Count Accelerator Fund to reimburse counties for overtime, expanded shifts, weekend operations, and other temporary costs associated with accelerating ballot processing after Election Day.

The proposal would not change election laws, security procedures, or vote-counting standards. Every ballot would still be processed according to existing law and under the authority of local election officials.

The goal is simple: count every legal ballot, maintain election integrity, and deliver timely results that voters can trust. Specifically, ensure that in the primary election of June 2026, Californians have complete and verified results within 48 hours of the deadline for receiving mail–in ballots. Final election results by 8pm on Thursday 11th June.