Golden State Today

California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., has issued a reminder to Californians regarding the ongoing vote count process following Election Day. The process is expected to continue for up to 30 days after the election.

"Doing it right takes precedence over doing it fast," stated Secretary Weber. "The time taken to process ballots ensures voters’ rights and the integrity of the election. California is committed to protecting voting rights and has put several guardrails in place to protect those rights, including same day voter registration, provisional ballots, and the postmark-plus-seven days rule for vote-by-mail ballots."

According to state law, county elections officials have a 30-day period to verify voter signatures for eligibility, count votes, conduct a post-election audit, and report results to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State then has up to 38 days after the election to certify these results.

Throughout this canvass period, election results will be updated as vote-by-mail ballots, provisional ballots, and other types are processed. The frequency of these updates will depend on each county's size and their specific procedures for tallying and reporting votes.

County elections officials are required to submit their final results by December 5. Subsequently, the Secretary of State will certify these results by December 13, 2024.

Further details about the ballot counting process can be accessed at sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/vote-counting-process.