California rejected almost 150K mail-in primary ballots

California rejected 148,241 postal ballots from its June primary, a higher total than in recent primaries despite a system designed to make voting by post accessible. The increase has prompted concern about whether postal processing changes and late voting decisions are preventing otherwise valid votes from being counted.

Late arrival was the main reason, accounting for 93,479 rejections; ballots must be postmarked by election day, although they may arrive up to seven days later. About 44,000 were rejected over signature mismatches and more than 8,300 lacked a signature; the overall rejection rate was 1.73%, compared with 1.56% in 2024 and a similar rate in 2022.