A voter places his ballot in the drop box at the Orange County Registrar of Voters in Santa Ana on Nov. 5.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
To the editor: Yes, California takes longer than other states to count ballots, as a letter writer points out. There are three reasons for this.
First, mail-in ballots are accepted up to seven days after the election as long as they are postmarked by election day. In Texas, mail-in ballots must be received by Election Day or, if postmarked on election day, the following day. In Florida, mail-in ballots must be received by election day.
Second, California’s population is larger than Florida by 17 million, and larger than Texas by about 9 million.
Third, California encourages voting. Florida and Texas work to limit voting, thereby discouraging turnout.
Increased voter participation is worth a delay in receiving results.
Moira Waddell, Los Angeles