California election experts sound alarm as rejected ballots quadruple

Key Points:

• California experienced a significant increase in late-arriving mail-in ballots in the Nov. 4 special election for Proposition 50, with rural counties seeing the biggest rise, partly due to U.S. Postal Service changes that reduced mail pickups in rural areas.
• An average of 8 out of every 1,000 mail-in ballots were rejected for arriving too late in the 2025 election, compared to 2 out of 1,000 in the 2024 general election, raising concerns about voter disenfranchisement.
• Postal Service officials recommend mailing ballots at least a week before the deadline to ensure timely arrival, a shift from previous guidance that has caused confusion among voters accustomed to mailing ballots closer to election day.
• Democrats defend vote-by-mail amid Republican attacks, with President Trump recently signing an executive order imposing federal restrictions on mail-in ballots, despite lacking evidence of widespread fraud.
• Changes to USPS operations and postmarking practices have drawn bipartisan concern, with some senators warning these could hinder timely voting and tax filings, while the Republican National Committee challenges late ballot acceptance laws in other states.