Florida has nearly all ballots counted on Election Day, while California can take weeks. This is why

By MAYA SWEEDLER | Associated Press

WASHINGTON  — In the 2020 presidential election, Florida reported the results within a few hours of poll close of more than 99% of ballots cast.

In California, almost one-third of ballots were uncounted after election night. The state was making almost daily updates to its count through Dec. 3, a full month after Election Day.

This wasn’t unusual or unexpected.

California, the nation’s most populous state, is consistently among the slowest to report all its election results.