Thomas Warrick, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, says the 60-day US-Iran talks face hurdles with regards to nuclear issues and sanctions, and will require time, willingness, and patience to achieve lasting results.
Published On 22 Jun 202622 Jun 2026
Share
Over the last decade, California became a national leader in voter accessibility and security, expanding options for when and how ballots can be cast while also strengthening election safeguards.
But those reforms came at a cost: speed. And in a political climate where unsupported conspiracies about election fraud can run rampant on social media — pushed, at times, by top political leaders — some fear the slow vote count is becoming a liability.
Election outcomes in recent years have become more drawn out in California, most recently taking about a week to determine the gubernatorial and Los Angeles mayoral candidates advancing to November’s runoff after hotly contested primaries. And in prior years, it’s taken even longer to determine tight U.S. House or state Senate seats.
That trade-off — election accessibility and security over quick results — has long been defended as a byproduct of California’s desire to make it as easy as possible to cast a ballot while ensuring accuracy and integrity, something backers say remains vital to a thriving democracy.
But some experts say the increasing backlash over the slow vote count sows distrust.
“We’ve allowed the long count to be normalized, … but that doesn’t mean it’s normal,” said Kim Alexander, president of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation, who has become an advocate for accelerating the state’s vote count. “There’s no question that voter confidence is eroding.”
A slower vote count does not signal any indication of fraud, despite unfounded claims over the last week by President Trump and others. Election officials and nonpartisan groups make clear that voter fraud remains extremely rare in the U.S., and there’s been no evidence of any such issues in California’s latest primary count.
But studies have found that voter trust slides as results lag, and this primary made clear that disinformation gains more traction the longer contests drag on, especially with lead changes.
That came to pass this primary, particularly as reality TV personality Spencer Pratt slowly lost his initial second-place ranking in the L.A. mayor’s race, before later batches of votes bumped him from the runoff — fueling an onslaught of social media hysteria: claims of so-called corruption and vote dumping, misinformed examples of alleged fraud and right-wing disinformation campaigns.
But making any substantive changes — particularly before November’s general election — would be an uphill battle, especially in deep-blue California, where Democrats tend to resist limits to voter access. And some are urging restraint.
“We should never drive policy based on conspiracy theories and lies,” said David Becker, the executive director of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation & Research. “That said, are there things California can do?”
Some suggestions, such as increased funding for county election offices and more education about early voting, would probably make some difference.
But the crux of the slow count comes from a flood of last-minute mail-in ballots — in a state with about one-eighth of the U.S. population. When a large percentage of California’s voters mail or drop off these ballots on or just before election day — as they tend to — it creates what Alexander calls the “pig in the python” effect: a major backlog of labor-intensive ballots to process, in a state that already handles the largest-volume ballot counts.
While verification occurs simultaneously during in-person voting, election officials in California are required to confirm a voter’s registration status, verify each voter’s signature and ensure each person did not vote elsewhere for each vote-by-mail ballot. Becker called it an “intensively human process” that cannot be sped through — but could be spread out by more early voting.
“It is a lot easier to report results out faster when ballots come in sooner,” Becker said.
Altering that process significantly enough to ease that bottleneck would likely come with other trade-offs, experts said, such as earlier deadlines to turn in certain ballots or more time-consuming ballot drop-offs — either of which might dissuade some voters from showing up. Mail-in ballots have overwhelmingly become Californians favorite way to vote, with more than 80% of voters using that method in every election since 2020.
But California didn’t become known for slow ballot counting overnight. Since the turn of the millennium, the state has taken several steps to increase voter access by expanding options for how, when and where voters can cast their ballot, while also strengthening its processes to become what the secretary of state’s office calls “the strongest voting security standards in the country.”
Those changes have included same-day voter registration, more early voting options, replacing neighborhood-specific polling places with vote centers, and most notably, universal vote-by-mail, which in 2021 required that all registered voters be mailed their ballot, which can be mailed back, returned to a secure drop box or vote center or ignored if the voter opts to vote in person.
Many Democratic voters this year waited to turn in their ballots due to the crowded pool of gubernatorial candidates, which probably exacerbated the already-slow process.
Still, that was expected. Election watchdogs and party officials from both parties tried to temper Californians’ expectations about the timing of results from the primary, reminding voters that it would likely take days if not weeks to call close races.
But when that exact process began to play out — particularly in the extremely tight contests for California governor and Los Angeles mayor — it almost immediately brought criticism and concern.
“None of the optics are good,” complained Roxanne Hoge, chair of the Los Angeles County Republican Party. “None of this is designed to inspire confidence.”
As Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office tried to dispel misinformation about California’s ballot tabulation process, the statement also said, “For the record: we wish the votes were counted faster, too.”
Not only would a speedier election count improve voter trust, which can often increase participation, Alexander said, it would also decrease harassment of election workers and help newly elected candidates step into their new roles faster — and eliminate a long limbo period for the losing candidate.
“We can get it right and do it faster, and we should,” Alexander said.
A 2023 law allowed counties to provide voters an opportunity to cast their vote-by-mail ballot as an in-person ballot, by submitting it sans envelope and signing for it at a vote center, which reduces the verification process required by election workers. About half of California counties have adopted some option of this expedited process, according to the California Voter Foundation, some calling it “Sign, scan and go!” or the “naked ballot” option, but more widespread implementation of this could help speed up the count, Alexander said. Los Angeles County, which processes more ballots than many states, has not yet implemented this time-saving option.
California also allows ballots, if postmarked by election day, to be accepted up to a week after polls close — though that policy may soon be forced to change depending how the Supreme Court rules on a case challenging ballots arriving after election day. Still, these late-arriving ballots don’t account for a large share of the delays in California: in 2024, only about 2.5% of all ballots arrived in the mail after election day.
But some election observers point out that even when compared with states with similarly run elections, California still lags behind.
“California simply counts the ballots it has too slowly and its elections offices are underfunded,” election analysts Eli McKown-Dawson and Nate Silver recently wrote in a Substack piece. “If you want people to be confident in your electoral system, a good first step is to build one that works properly.”
And while seven other states also automatically mail voters ballots, experts say it’s hard to make direct comparisons with California. Some critics often point to Colorado as an example of a state with similarly ubiquitous mail-in voting, yet a much faster count than California. But the scale of states’ elections are so different: In 2024, California processed about 13 million vote-by-mail ballots; not even 3 million were counted in Colorado.
Some have also pointed out that despite all the ways California has worked to expand voter accessibility, turnout hasn’t dramatically changed. California remains relatively in the middle of the pack when it comes to voter turnout across the U.S., and while the state has seen some spikes in turnout during certain election years, there’s been no noticeable uptick over the last 15 years, according to a review of data from 2008 to 2024.
But Becker contended that there are many factors that can influence voter turnout, in particular, California’s strong blue tilt.
“Perceived competitiveness” — or lack thereof — often keeps voters from the polls, as can uninspiring campaigns or even the weather, Becker said, but he was adamant that shouldn’t be a reason to make it harder for people to vote.
“Accessibility is always worth it,” Becker said.
Hoge, the GOP chair, had a different take, highlighting concerns about the voter registration process as well as the slow count — though she has been clear that the latter doesn’t necessarily signal fraud.
She has continued to push a more tempered narrative to many Republican leaders, including from the White House. On X, she shared a post that fact-checked a photo of vote tabulations from L.A. County, which appeared to — erroneously — show reality TV personality Spencer Pratt receiving no new votes in a daily vote count. And she boosted a video that dispelled rumors about Democrats stealing votes and ones about widespread fraud in California’s process.
“It’s a horrible roller coaster,” Hoge said about California’s election results. “It doesn’t make sense, and the fact that you’re just noticing it today doesn’t mean that it’s newly not making sense. … But until we win, we can’t change it.”
No matter what California might change or improve, Becker said he is confident it won’t stop the criticism or campaigns of misinformation. He also said that most elections in California are called relatively quickly — take the state’s pick for president, which is usually confirmed on election night — but it’s a small share of extremely tight races that take longer, because they require a more complete count to call a winner.
“It doesn’t matter how fast California counts its ballots, … we would be seeing similar conspiracy theories, maybe just with a different framing,” Becker said. “California ends up being a very effective bogeyman.”
Staff writer Kevin Rector contributed to this report.
KATIE Price has admitted son Harvey is happiest at home and tells her he “hates” living anywhere else.
The former glamour model revealed that while Harvey previously moved into his own flat, he is now back living with her and dreads the prospect of being away from his mum again.
Speaking on The Katie Price Show podcast, Katie opened up about how much Harvey struggles when he’s not at home.
She said: “I think people are noticing I’ve got Harvey here more than I normally do. Normally he’s in Cheltenham.”
Harvey, 24, who has Prader-Willi Syndrome, attended a specialist further education college for young people with complex disabilities.
He enrolled at the residential college in Cheltenham in 2021 before his funding was cut in 2024.
Harvey then moved into supported independent living, with Southampton serving as a temporary base.
Katie explained: “We’re still waiting for his next placement. They’re saying next month and that’s up the road from me.
“But where he is in Southampton, he just doesn’t like being there.
“When he’s there, he texts me, ‘I hate it here, Mum. I just need you. I want your cuddles, hold my hand.’
“And it pulls on your heart. So I’ve got him here and it’s hard because I’m working and his carer at the same time.”
Harvey and Katie’s daily challenges have previously been documented in the BBC documentary Harvey and Me.
Meanwhile, Katie recently returned from Dubai, where she tried to find out more about husband Lee Andrews’ detention in Al Awir prison.
Lee, 43, claims he was arrested and detained on suspicion of espionage, but it is understood he is actually being held over a private civil matter.
JUST weeks after Mimii Ngulube revealed she was in a fresh relationship, The Sun can reveal the identity of her hunky new man.
The Love Island winner hard-launched her other half by sharing a TikTok dance clip with him this week, but fans have been wondering who the man behind the screen really is.
Mimii’s new boyfriend, Denzel, keeps a much lower-profile than the reality star and has just 2.3K followers on Instagram – with little about him on the internet.
The pair have been getting close over recent months, and a source tells The Sun that the smitten couple are “really happy” after making their romance official.
They revealed: “Mimii and Denzel are really happy together.
“She keeps a fairly low profile compared to a lot of the Love Island winners, so for her to hard launch him on her socials means she is definitely smitten.
“He is a good guy, with good values. He is very religious, as is Mimi, so they have that in common.
“Friends have commented how she hasn’t been this happy in ages and it’s great to see her with such a huge smile on her face.”
In March, Mimii first revealed that she was seeing someone new as she dubbed Denzel “Mr. Mimii”.
However, she kept details to a minimum, other than revealing he treated her to some luxury birthday gifts.
But in Mimii’s latest TikTok, fans finally got a glimpse into the romance as she danced whilst Denzel was spotted busting a move in the frame behind her.
However, she still refrained from naming or tagging Denzel, who has around 2,000 followers on Instagram and is thought to hail from Kent.
Mimii won Love Island in 2024 with her ex Josh Oyinsan.
However, the pair split shortly after appearing on the show as they failed to make things work outside of the villa.
Whilst the ITV2 show may not have found her lasting love, Mimii has, however, maintained friendships with several her co-stars.
Showing they approve of her new romance, a number of Mimii’s fellow Love Islanders commented on her new TikTok with Denzel.
“Ugh YES You’re GLOWING,” wrote Uma Jammeh.
While Matilda Draper wrote: “love this for u”.
KIM Kardashian and Lewis Hamilton’s romantic beach pictures prove that they’ve hard launched a VERY different relationship.
Body language expert Judi James has revealed that Kim, 45, and Lewis, 41, appear to be the real deal with “genuine displays of intimacy”.
The happy couple, who went official with their relationship in December, packed on the PDA during their getaway in Malibu.
The Skims founder looked in her element as she enjoyed a surf lesson with her beau.
TV personality Kim showed off her incredible figure in a skintight wetsuit and a black bikini top.
The F1 star wore a pair of black shorts and a matching T-shirt.
They were seen all over each other as they struggled to keep their hands off one another.
Judi has now revealed that the beach snaps illustrate just how much this famous couple are compatible, despite fears that they were a showmance.
Even though it’s early days, Judi believes that their is already a strong level of trust between the pair.
She exclusively told The Sun: “They might have been seen on a couple of chaste-looking dates where Lewis’s body language primarily spelled out ‘gentleman’ but these photos and the video look like the hard launch of a more tactile, sexual and romantic relationship between Kim and Lewis.
“Kim’s leading the plunge here, swimming ahead of Lewis as he seems to be struggling to catch up with her and touch her.
“When they are together in the ocean there are signs of an uninhibited and playful, mutually clinging relationship with Kim encircling Lewis with her arms and throwing her head back with an open-mouth laugh of sheer pleasure, with her relaxed neck-baring a sign of strong levels of trust in the relationship.”
The expert insisted that Kim appears to be in charge of the relationship but also seem to be rather like-minded and on the same page.
“Kim does look like the leader in the body language stages here, at one point she stands with her feet slightly splayed and her back arched as she performs a preening, confident pit-bare gesture as she squeezes the water out of her hair,” Judi shared.
“Lewis’s response is reciprocal as he shows his admiration by placing one hand out and onto the upper part of her bum.
“During a playful-looking moment Kim turns her torso in towards his, pressing it against his torso in an intimate pose as she places one hand on his waist and here he responds with one hand curved right around the shape of her bum.
“Kim and Lewis have dressed in coordinating swimwear here to signal they are a couple and their mirrored movements and poses at some points suggest a like-minded relationship too.”
Kim and Lewis packed on the PDA and were seen strolling along the beach and were pictured smiling and laughing together.
The lovebirds were then seen splashing about in the sea and were spotted with their arms wrapped around one another.
They appeared to be the real deal as they kept eye contact and smooched while riding the waves in the sea.
They were also seen showing off their surf skills during the sporty outing, with Kim jumping on top of the board, while Lewis kept an eye on her.
They seemed comfortable in each other’s presence as they clung to each other and rode the waves.
Last week, Kim sparked Kim rumours that she is moving in with Lewis as they went rug shopping in LA.
Lewis attempted to go incognito with black sunglasses and a baseball cap.
The two were seen heading back into a vehicle as they made their way home after the shopping trip.
Just last week, Kim made an 11,000-mile round-trip to spend 24 hours in London with Lewis.
She flew to the UK on her private jet to see her man in a bid to keep their long-distance romance alive.
She left Los Angeles last Monday and landed at Farnborough, Hants, at 4pm on the Tuesday before being chauffeured on a 90-minute journey to Lewis’s £18million home in Kensington, West London.
The couple stayed holed-up in his six-bedroom mansion while their security teams kept guard.
She then left on Wednesday afternoon, taking off from Oxford at 5.30pm to return to the US.
A source said: “Lewis and Kim are two of the busiest people in showbiz, but they are determined to do everything to see each other when they have any spare time.
“Kim spent Easter weekend with her family and then had a photoshoot in Los Angeles on Monday morning, then flew across the Atlantic to see Lewis.
“They didn’t have long together because she had commitments in the US to get back to, but it was quality time.”
Kim’s romance with Lewis became public knowledge after The Sun revealed she flew in from Los Angeles on her £100million private jet to spend an evening with him.
On January 31, the couple enjoyed a brief stay at the exclusive Estelle Manor in the Cotswolds, with insiders saying they had the spa to themselves, before enjoying a meal in a private room.
They made their public debut as a couple at the Super Bowl in February where they were spotted sitting together in a luxury suite.
They have since been seen together in Paris, the US and for several other trips.
Proving they’re the real deal, the sports star recently met Kim’s children while they were out in Tokyo ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.
The couple were joined by three of her children -Saint, 10, Chicago, nine, and six-year-old Psalm – while they were on spring break.
“It’s more than just a casual connection. It takes a lot to capture Kim’s interest and she’s definitely intrigued,” an insider told People.
“He’s just an easygoing guy with great energy.
“Her family likes him and Kim’s very into him. They are both busy with their careers, but see each other as much as possible.”
Champions League analysts Stephen Warnock, Nedum Onouha and Julien Laurens look at why the semi-finals between PSG & Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid & Arsenal are both really hard to call who will win.
MATCH REPORT: Champions League – Arsenal 0-0 Sporting (1-0 agg)
