By Macy Meinhardt, Voice & Viewpoint Staff Writer
It has been almost forty days since the November 2024 election. With 22 million votes to process statewide, the official certification was made Friday, Dec. 13, making California the last state in the nation to formalize results from this year’s historic election.
Unapologetically, “we take the time to get it right,” said Secretary of State Shirley Weber during an online media briefing Wednesday.
The official state certification is happening at a time when politicians across the state are already being sworn into office. On Dec. 2, eleven days before the certification was called, 29 newly elected senators and assemblymembers took oaths of office at the State Capitol in Sacramento.
The delay is due to California’s transition away from in-person voting in an effort to make voting options accessible. California is one of eight states, along with Washington, D.C., that mails ballots to all registered voters, leading to a lengthier vote-counting process.
In San Diego County, the majority of ballots counted were mail-in’s, accumulating 1.3 million. In person voting amounted to 228,000 ballots.
Other factors contribute to the delay, Secretary Weber explained. The responsibility to individually count and process votes falls onto the state’s 58 county registrar offices, who each have different staff levels, schedules, and budgets for elections.
San Diego County certified their votes on Dec. 3, yielding a 75.8% voter turnout rate. It is slightly above the turnout rate received across the state, leveling out to 71.4%.
“In California we prioritize accuracy and inclusion, taking the time necessary to ensure every eligible vote is counted–whether it is cast through mail, in-person, or same day voter registration,” said Secretary Weber, “It is democracy at work.”
