A member of the LA Times editorial board argues that California's slow voting process is necessary for maintaining 'election integrity'.

The Los Angeles Times editorial board member, who leans left, defended California's practice of counting votes a month after Election Day, stating that the state's meticulous process of collecting and verifying ballots demonstrated the importance of election integrity.

Perhaps some counties could process and count ballots more quickly? This is a possibility that some state legislators are exploring, as they seek ways to speed up the process.

"While the slow pace of the election has allowed voters ample time and several ways to submit their ballots, the meticulous process of verifying and counting these ballots reflects both the importance of election integrity and the provision of voter access and opportunities."

While officials were still counting votes in the 2024 race, some Californians were already preparing for Christmas and putting up decorations.

On Election Night, Vice President Kamala Harris was declared the winner in California, but the state's slow-counting process reduced President-elect Donald Trump's national popular vote margin. In 2020, Trump lost California to Joe Biden by nearly 30 points, but in 2024, he cut the margin to about 20 points.

In California, the final undecided House race was decided last week when Democrat Adam Gray defeated Republican Rep. John Duarte in the 13th Congressional District. Meanwhile, in the 45th Congressional District, Democrat Derek Tran unseated GOP Rep. Michelle Steel more than three weeks after the election.

Michael Whatley, Republican National Committee Chairman, wrote last month that it is unbelievable that California allows ballots to be accepted up to 7 days after Election Day and takes nearly a month to count them.

Hall argued that people should not criticize California for taking its time in the election process, as the state has provisions such as mailing every voter a ballot a month before Election Day and allowing citizens to register and vote by provisional ballot on Election Day. Furthermore, California voters are contacted if their signatures don't match the ones on voter rolls and given an opportunity to "cure" their ballots until December 1.

"Waiting for a few races to call seemed worth it, according to Hall," he argued.

Hall's past individual articles indicate her support for Harris, with a pre-election column expressing concern about a second Trump administration's impact on abortion rights and another stating that Harris had already earned her vote.

Planet Chronicle Digital reached out to Hall for further comment.

Nearly 90% of votes in California's 2022 election were cast via mail-in ballots, resulting in a prolonged vote-counting process due to the high volume of mail-in ballots.

Under law, mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day can be counted if they arrive up to a week later. However, the verification process can delay the tallying of these ballots, which extends the timeframe for certification. The deadline for election certification is December 16th.

Planet Chronicle Digital's Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.