Officials in California have been warning the public for days that counting the state’s primary election votes, and thus determining which candidates have qualified for general election runoffs, is a process that could drag on for weeks. This isn’t terribly new or unusual in the Golden State; in 2024, for instance, one congressional race wasn’t called until roughly one full month after election day.
In Los Angeles, the leftist third-place finisher on election night has now stormed back to enter the top-two runoff, apparently leaving independent Spencer Pratt on the outside looking in. His sizable vote lead to qualify for the general election vanished over the course of the better part of a week, with one negative ballot drop after another relegating him to third place. Many people are understandably suspicious of this sequence of events. Whether one thinks this is entirely corrupt, partially corrupt, or fully legal under California’s procedures, it’s an indefensible way to administer an election.
Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder Dean Logan held a press conference last week in which he sought to discredit critics of the system: “You will likely hear from some big voices, some loud voices, that it’s crazy … that it takes this long for votes to be counted,” he said. “I want to emphasize that it’s not stupid. It’s not crazy. It’s actually the law in California.”
