DeSantis Renews Feud With Newsom Over California’s Slow Vote Counting

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis reignited his long-running rivalry with California Gov. Gavin Newsom this week, criticizing California’s election system as officials continued processing ballots from several closely watched races.

“Florida processes more than 10 million votes in a matter of hours. California takes days — or sometimes even weeks — to count the votes. It’s pathetic — and it’s corrosive to our civic culture,” DeSantis wrote on X.

The Florida governor contrasted his state’s election procedures with California’s system, which allows ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted if they arrive within seven days and gives voters time to correct signature issues. Counties can also take up to 30 days to complete the official canvass.

Because most Californians vote by mail, those procedures often result in extended ballot counting periods that continue well after Election Day.

Florida, by comparison, implemented major election reforms following the disputed 2000 presidential election. Mail ballots generally must be received by Election Day, and voters have a shorter period to address signature discrepancies, allowing results to be reported more quickly.

DeSantis also questioned the continued release of ballot totals in California races.

“California keeps dumping votes. Odds are shifting because the vote dumps always seem to go one way. Count until you get the result you want?” he wrote while commenting on a social media post discussing the Los Angeles mayoral race.

The latest vote updates in Los Angeles showed little movement among the leading candidates.

Karen Bass remained in first place, increasing her share of the vote from 34.78% to 34.97%. Television personality Spencer Pratt slipped slightly from 30.44% to 29.91%, while City Councilmember Nithya Raman rose from 22.32% to 22.81%.

The standings remained unchanged from the initial election-night results, with Bass appearing headed for a runoff spot in November while the race for second place remained competitive.

The latest exchange marks the newest chapter in the public feud between DeSantis and Newsom, which gained national attention during their televised debate in 2023 and has continued through repeated clashes over governance, public policy and election administration.

Additional ballot counts are expected to be released Thursday as California officials continue processing outstanding votes.