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Why it's taking so long to count California primary votes
State election officials are expected to learn sometime on Thursday exactly how many votes still need to be counted in the California primary election, as well as how long the process could take.
OAKLAND, Calif. - State election officials are expected to learn sometime on Thursday exactly how many votes still need to be counted in the California primary election, as well as how long the process could take.
In the meantime, the final outcomes for the race for governor and several other statewide offices remain highly uncertain.
Voter turnout for this year's primary could surpass the roughly 30% turnout seen during the last midterm primary election in 2022, driven by intense interest in the wide-open gubernatorial race.
How many votes left?
By the numbers:
According to Ballot Tracker, approximately 6.5 million ballots have been counted so far out of 23 million registered voters in California. Because it could take several days or even weeks to finish counting all the remaining votes, the vote totals in the race for California governor remain relatively unchanged.
Initial totals show Republican Steve Hilton in the lead with 28% of the vote. Democrat Xavier Becerra follows with 25%, and Democrat Tom Steyer holds 20%. Under California's primary system, only the top two candidates will move on to the general election in November, regardless of party. With so many ballots left uncounted, it is not yet clear which two candidates will advance.
"Most likely it is going to be Hilton and Becerra," said Melissa Michelson, a political science professor at Menlo College. "It is entirely possible we get a surprise as we get more of these ballots counted."
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The votes still being counted in the Californi governor's race
Georgetown law professor Michele Goodwin discusses how many votes still need to be counted in the California governor's race and why it takes so long to tally the final number.
Other statewide races
Big picture view:
Other statewide races are also headed for a November runoff.
In the race for lieutenant governor, Josh Fryday, Fiona Ma, and Gloria Romero are the top candidates.
While the position is not a highly visible public role, the lieutenant governor steps in as acting governor when the governor is ill or out of state. The lieutenant governor can also cast rare, tie-breaking votes in the State Senate and serves on the University of California Board of Regents, where they vote on issues like tuition hikes.
The race for insurance commissioner also remains undecided.
The top three candidates in that field are all Democrats: Ben Allen, Jane Kim, and Stacy Korz-Gayden. The insurance commissioner plays a significant role in determining how much residents pay for home, auto, and life insurance, as state law requires the elected commissioner to sign off on any proposed rate hikes from insurance companies.
Under state law, county election officials have until July 3 to finish counting all ballots and must certify the final results by July 10.
The Source: Ballot Tracker, polls, Melissa Michelson, a political science professor at Menlo College.