California Rejects Record 150,000 Mail Ballots in June Primary

California rejected a record 148,241 mail-in ballots during its June primary election, representing 1.73% of all mail ballots cast. This figure marks a significant increase from previous elections, with 108,982 ballots rejected in the 2024 primary (1.56%) and 105,818 in the 2022 primary. The primary driver for these rejections, accounting for 93,479 disqualified ballots in June, was late arrival. This is a substantial rise from approximately 70,000 late ballots in the 2022 primary and 76,000 in the 2024 primary.

These rejections occurred despite California's efforts to simplify voting and boost participation, including allowing mail-in ballots to be counted if they arrive up to seven days after Election Day, provided they are postmarked by Election Day. Voting experts suggest that the main issue is ballots arriving after the postmark deadline, potentially linked to changes in U.S. Postal Service procedures affecting postmark application times. The surge in late-arriving ballots may also be connected to a late surge in voters returning their ballots in June.

Kim Alexander, president of the California Voter Foundation, expressed concern over the escalating number of rejected ballots due to lateness. She indicated that postal procedures, alongside potential voter behavior patterns of waiting until the last minute to return ballots, could be contributing factors. The state's prolonged vote counting process, which can extend for weeks, is partly a consequence of voting reforms intended to increase turnout but which have not demonstrably achieved that goal. The data was compiled by the secretary of state's office.