Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis reignites his war with Gavin Newsom with his theory on California’s voting

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis renewed his criticism of Gavin Newsom and the state’s election system as several California races remained uncalled while hundreds of thousands of ballots were being processed.

“Florida processes more than 10 million votes in a matter of hours. California takes days — or sometimes even weeks — to count the votes. It’s pathetic — and it’s corrosive to our civic culture,” the Republican governor wrote on X.

Florida emphasizes speed and immediate error detection in its election process, while California prioritizes voter access and extensive ballot verification, which can lengthen the counting timeline.

In California, every registered voter receives a mail ballot, and ballots postmarked by Election Day can be counted if they are received within seven days.

Voters are also allowed to “cure” missing or mismatched signatures and counties have up to 30 days to complete the official canvass.

Because a majority of Californians vote by mail, these safeguards can significantly extend the counting process.

During the March 2024 primary, for example, just over half of ballots had been counted on election night, with certification taking up to an entire month after.

By contrast, Florida overhauled its election system following the disputed 2000 presidential election.

Mail ballots must be received by Election Day, and voters generally have a shorter period to resolve signature issues. Those policies help Florida report results more quickly.

DeSantis, whose feud with Newsom has drawn national attention since their 2023 televised debate during DeSantis’ presidential campaign, also took aim at the continuing flow of ballot counts in California.

Democrats historically vote by mail at higher rates than Republicans, meaning later-counted ballots can sometimes shift margins after Election Day.

“California keeps dumping votes. Odds are shifting because the vote dumps always seem to go one way. Count until you get the result you want?” DeSantis wrote while responding to a Polymarket post showing reality television star Spencer Pratt’s declining odds of victory.

There have been no credible reports of widespread voter fraud affecting California’s 2026 primary elections.

The three leading candidates in Los Angeles’ mayoral race showed little movement in the latest ballot count released Wednesday afternoon, solidifying Mayor Karen Bass’ place in November’s runoff election while leaving the race for second place largely unchanged.

Bass, Pratt and City Councilmember Nithya Raman remained in the same positions they held following Tuesday night’s initial results.

Bass’s share of the vote edged up from 34.78% to 34.97%, while Pratt slipped from 30.44% to 29.91%. Raman gained modestly, rising from 22.32% to 22.81%, according to the Associated Press.

Additional ballot counts are expected to be released Thursday.

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