But the rate of vote-by-mail ballots that don’t get counted is higher in California than in any other state, says the Pew Center on the States’ Election Performance. The problem of uncounted mail ballots is particularly perplexing because more than half of the electorate in California chooses to vote by mail, 51 percent in November 2012, and 69 percent in June. In her latest report, Kim Alexander, head of the California Voter Foundation, details why vote-by-mail ballots aren’t counted: the signature on the envelope doesn’t match closely enough the signature on file with the elections office, the voter neglects to sign the envelope, or the ballot is mailed in too late. Few counties bother to inform the voters that their votes weren’t counted. Disenfranchised voters may make the same mistakes year after year.
Source: Editorial: California politicians would never suppress voting, but they might not count all the ballots - Editorials - The Sacramento Bee
