California Mail-In Voting Fails to Raise Primary Turnout and Slows Count

California finalized vote counts for the June primary, reporting a statewide turnout of 40.8%, up from 35% in 2024 and 33.2% in 2022 but still below the pre‑1980s norm of over 40%. The state’s 2016‑era expansion of mail‑in voting—where every voter receives a ballot that can be postmarked up to a week late—has not produced a sizable increase in participation, and racial and ethnic turnout gaps persist, said Mindy Romero of the Center for Inclusive Democracy.

A report from the California Voter Foundation noted that the speed of counting has slowed dramatically, with ballots tallied within two days of Election Day falling from 81% in 2004 to 66% in 2024, making California the nation’s slowest‑counting state. Late‑arriving mail ballots altered results in races such as the Los Angeles mayoral contest, where Spencer Pratt’s early lead vanished after additional mail votes were counted. Former President Donald Trump and California Republicans have criticized the drawn‑out process, especially after a Supreme Court ruling allowing states to count mail ballots received after Election Day.

Experts including Kim Alexander of the Voter Foundation and Eric McGhee of the Public Policy Institute of California argue that factors beyond ballot access—such as candidate competitiveness—drive turnout, and that the expanded mail‑in system is likely to remain despite political attacks.