The right to vote and the right to petition our government are among the most basic freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. These are foundational and central to the promise that ordinary citizens, not elites or institutions, ultimately hold power in America. Rights of this importance should be protected, respected, and made easier to exercise, not tangled in systems that create unnecessary confusion and distrust.
Counting votes, assuming they are legal and eligible votes, should be uncomplicated. Yet after nearly every major election, people are once again left waiting days or even weeks to learn who won. We live in an era where information moves across the world in seconds, financial transactions occur instantly, and identity can be verified securely through technology. It should be easier, not harder, to count votes quickly and confidently.
Instead, we seem to be moving further away from a system that could simplify the process and strengthen public confidence. Delayed results create frustration among voters, place enormous burdens on election officials, and invite legal challenges that prolong uncertainty even further. Most damaging of all, they weaken trust in the electoral process itself.
TRUMP DOJ INTENSIFIES SCRUTINY OF CALIFORNIA AS BALLOT COUNTING CONTINUES
Election analysts are increasingly criticizing the normalization of prolonged election delays, arguing that taking weeks to determine winners is uncommon in many electoral systems around the world and harmful to public confidence.
Americans have gradually become conditioned to accept a process that should not be viewed as inevitable. Waiting extensive periods to determine election outcomes is increasingly treated as normal, when it should instead prompt questions about whether our systems are functioning as effectively as they could.
California is becoming one of the most visible examples of this challenge. The state’s extensive reliance on mail balloting and broad ballot processing timelines frequently stretches results far beyond election night. Major races can remain unresolved long after voters have cast their ballots. With competitive statewide contests and local races increasingly tightening, prolonged uncertainty could once again become part of the political story.
Delays become especially problematic in closely contested elections. As margins narrow and candidates surge unexpectedly, uncertainty creates fertile ground for accusations, lawsuits, and suspicion. The longer results remain unsettled, the more room there is for competing narratives to fill the vacuum.
People begin asking whether something improper occurred even when there may be no evidence of wrongdoing at all. Trust begins to erode not necessarily because of fraud, but because of confusion.
There is a better path forward.
The same technology that already protects many of our most important activities could help modernize elections. Secure electronic signature ballots could dramatically simplify ballot verification and processing while maintaining strong safeguards against abuse. Banks process billions of dollars electronically every day. Government agencies rely on digital verification systems. Individuals use secure electronic signatures to execute legal documents, mortgages, contracts, and sensitive financial transactions.
Electronic signatures supported by identity verification, multifactor authentication, encrypted systems, and secure voter databases can create a process that is both efficient and trustworthy. Rather than relying on election workers to manually compare handwriting or process mountains of paper ballots over extended periods, eligible voters could have their identities authenticated quickly and securely.
Electronic signature ballots could reduce clerical mistakes, shorten processing times, and decrease disputes over mismatched signatures or paperwork errors. Election officials would spend less time navigating cumbersome administrative hurdles and more time ensuring every lawful vote is counted properly. Voters themselves would gain confidence that their ballots had been received and authenticated through secure systems. This would strengthen election integrity.
People across the political spectrum want elections that are accessible, accurate, and trusted. Regardless of party or affiliation, we want confidence that legal votes count and confidence that results will arrive in a reasonable time frame.
Democracy functions best when citizens can participate easily and when outcomes are clear and accepted. Rights are weakened by making them difficult to exercise. They are strengthened by building systems that protect access while ensuring security.
TRUMP SLAMS CALIFORNIA FOR STILL TALLYING VOTES FOUR DAYS AFTER PRIMARY
The Constitution guarantees people the freedom to vote and petition their government. In the digital age, honoring those freedoms means embracing tools that make participation easier, safer, and more reliable.
We should stop accepting unnecessary delays and start building an election system designed for the century we live in.
Bob Carlstrom is executive director of the Prosperity for US Foundation