While ballots are being tallied in Los Angeles and across California, a visit to the county’s expansive 144,000-square-foot ballot processing facility on Thursday revealed many empty workstations.
This scene felt somewhat contradictory considering the pressure to handle the hundreds of thousands of unfinished ballots. County officials announced on Wednesday that only 77,521 ballots had been processed since Election Night, leaving an estimated 713,180 ballots yet to be counted.
During the visit, it was noticeable that many workstations were unoccupied. There were several sections completely devoid of chairs.
In one area dedicated to handling ballots that can’t be read by scanners, roughly 25 boxes awaited processing while no workers were present at nearby desks.
In another section, where employees open envelopes and get ballots ready for counting, about 75 workers were active, but this space has the capacity for more than twice that number.
As the county’s election efforts unfold, it seems Los Angeles County is investing around $336 million each year in its electoral operations, a figure evidenced in the County Clerk’s detailed budget records.
Leading this department is Dean Logan, who earns $448,179 annually as the Registrar-Recorder and County Clerk overseeing elections.
The situation surrounding the election remains significant. With over 5.8 million registered voters, Los Angeles County has a larger voter base than many U.S. states.
The Registrar’s Office was questioned about the number of staff currently processing ballots, any existing vacancies, the reasons behind the empty workstations amid a substantial backlog, and the feasibility of adding more staff to hasten the counting process.
Nico Ruderman, a Venice City Council member and former candidate for the California Senate, expressed concerns that extensive vote counting could erode public trust in the electoral process.
“The current mail-in ballot system and the lengthy counting time allow room for doubt regarding our elections, and it’s a legitimate concern,” Ruderman remarked. “Our situation is closely watched because these results are so tight. The delay seems linked to incompetence and a poorly designed system, not because it inherently needs to take so long.”
Ruderman advocates for mail-in voting but suggests that California should implement stricter election protocols. He emphasized the importance of ensuring all ballots arrive by Election Day, arguing that votes by mail should require requests rather than automatic distribution to everyone on the voter rolls.
He concluded that while it’s vital to facilitate voting, precautions must be in place to prevent vote harvesting and election fraud.
In contrast, other states that held elections on Tuesday are nearly finished counting their votes, with New Jersey reporting about 93% completion and New Mexico and Montana reaching close to 98%.
The next update on vote counting in Los Angeles County is expected Thursday night, but with over 700,000 ballots still unprocessed, analysts anticipate it could take weeks before voters learn which candidates will be on the November ballot.
