{"id":185,"date":"2026-06-17T09:08:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T09:08:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/?p=185"},"modified":"2026-06-17T09:08:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T09:08:11","slug":"the-power-of-vote-at-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/?p=185","title":{"rendered":"The Power of Vote at Home"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

First, let\u2019s concede the obvious. California\u2019s ballot counting is too slow.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But don\u2019t misidentify the real culprit.<\/p>\n

Daily updates from the California Secretary of State following the June 2 primary revealed that some counties, including Los Angeles, had processed of the ballots they had received by the following Tuesday. Others, like Kern County (Bakersfield), were reporting just 70 percent.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more How Local News Reduces Loneliness<\/a><\/p>\n

Indeed, late-arriving \u201cpostmarked\u201d ballots likely will constitute less than 3 percent of California\u2019s total votes. The exponentially bigger bottleneck: the inevitable surge of ballots received on or right before Election Day<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So, a policy change\u2014e.g., a Congressional mandate to require all states to adopt a \u201creceived by Election Day\u201d standard, as recently urged by The New York Times<\/em> editorial board\u2014will have far less impact than California taking long-overdue action to ensure its 63 counties have the election administration staff, money, modern equipment, and physical space to do the job properly.<\/p>\n

California\u2019s tardy vote counting also gave Donald Trump another chance to rant about mail ballot fraud and election rigging. (Though when pressed for evidence, Trump walked out of a Meet the Press<\/em> interview.)\u00a0<\/p>\n

But amidst the faux outrage and well-intentioned hand-wringing is something truly remarkable that deserves far more notice\u2014if not outright celebration\u2014among the nation\u2019s journalists, political analysts, and democracy advocates.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Based on the latest data from California\u2019s Secretary of State, when valid ballots are finally counted, nearly 9.5 million votes will have been cast.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Given California\u2019s 23.155 million registered voters, primary election voter turnout would be 41 percent.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That would mean the highest voter turnout<\/em> so far in the United States among the 26 states that have held primary elections through June 9, and a rate nearly double that of most other states.<\/p>\n

And consider this for those who might think mail ballots are some nefarious plot to thwart Republicans. Of the seven (mostly rural) California counties that will exceed 55 percent voter turnout\u2014a level many states can\u2019t muster in general elections\u2014Trump won all seven of them in 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n

California\u2019s \u201chidden in plain sight\u201d secret to this remarkable turnout prowess?<\/p>\n

Like seven other states and the District of Columbia, California has a \u201cvote at home\u201d election system\u2014a far bigger object of MAGA ire than any \u201cpostmark by\u201d or \u201cno-excuse\u201d mail ballot law.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Voters in these jurisdictions aren\u2019t required to schlep to an assigned polling place or apply in advance for a mail ballot. Instead, every active registered voter is automatically entitled to receive a ballot by mail before every election. Voters can then vote by mail, vote in person, or not vote at all.<\/p>\n

However, there\u2019s an inevitable\u2014though happy\u2014trade-off. Even in \u201cBallots Received by Election Day\u201d states\u2014like vote-at-home Colorado\u2014extra time is still required to ensure every ballot is properly validated and fairly counted.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Is the dramatically higher voter turnout of so little importance that it\u2019s simply unacceptable to make politicians, campaign managers, and deadline-obsessed journalists wait a few extra days for semi-official results?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Is that even a serious question?<\/p>\n

Based on states\u2019 official turnout numbers and\/or their relevant voter registration counts and primary election vote totals, I\u2019ve calculated that the 22 states with completed primaries that didn\u2019t use a vote-at-home approach have averaged a paltry 24 percent voter turnout rate.<\/p>\n

Two states couldn\u2019t even break the 20 percent mark: Indiana (17 percent) and North Carolina (19 percent). Only two of these states topped 30 percent: South Dakota (35 percent) and Maine (36 percent).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s Oregon\u2014a vote-at-home state since 2000, a reform I championed as Secretary of State\u2014which is now running in a virtual tie for the voter turnout gold medal with a projected 41 percent turnout, too.<\/p>\n

The remaining state is Montana, in bronze medal position, with a 38 percent rate. More than 80 percent of Montana\u2019s registered voters have signed up to automatically receive their ballots without needing to reapply constantly.<\/p>\n

Read more The Iran War\u2019s Biggest Loser? Definitely Netanyahu<\/a><\/p>\n

Many factors certainly affect voter turnout, especially in primary elections. How \u201ccompetitive\u201d and\/or \u201cheated\u201d are various contests? What key demographic factors\u2014e.g., age or race\/ethnicity\u2014might tend to boost (or lower) voter participation rates?<\/p>\n

But if anything, such factors further underscore California\u2019s remarkable performance and the inherent power of an \u201copt out\u201d approach to connecting voters and their ballots\u2014rather than the \u201copt-in\u201d model still used in 42 U.S. States.\u00a0<\/p>\n

California, whose marquee governor\u2019s race was widely panned as lackluster, is also one of America\u2019s most diverse states.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yet California will easily surpass Maine\u2019s primary turnout, despite Maine having one of America\u2019s whitest and oldest electorates, not to mention its attention-grabbing U.S. Senate contest.<\/p>\n

Better yet, contrast California\u2019s 41 percent turnout with the 24 percent turnout in March\u2019s Texas primary\u2014a state with similarly diverse demographics and that boasted hotly contested Senate races for both major parties.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Had California matched Texas\u2019s primary turnout, 3 million fewer voters would have cast ballots.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, let\u2019s not be na\u00efve.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Even if California had managed to count 95 percent or more of its ballots within 24 hours, who believes it would change by one iota the hostility Trump and his allies have for mail ballots generally\u2014and vote-at-home systems specifically?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hardly surprising that mail ballot opponents\u2014especially those bent on killing outright vote-at-home election systems\u2014might prefer that what California did so remarkably well with its primary election stay widely ignored and unmentioned.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That said, even Trump\u2019s opponents seem little inclined to highlight this and other strong evidence about how vote-at-home election systems can significantly\u2014even dramatically\u2014boost voter turnout.<\/p>\n

Indeed, one can\u2019t help but wonder whether some Democratic strategists\u2014quietly, of course\u2014have embraced a certain \u201cGoldilocks\u201d theory of \u201coptimal\u201d turnout levels that are neither too low nor too high.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Since Trump\u2019s election, Democrats have enjoyed a near-perfect run of flipping seats\u2014and\/or outperforming Republicans by 10 or even 25-plus points relative to 2024\u2014mostly in relatively low turnout vacancy or odd-year elections.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Might they privately worry that automatically sending ballots to all active registered voters could help Republicans close this apparent \u201centhusiasm gap?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 2024, Democrats also lost enormous ground among many young, male, and\/or non-white voting blocs. Numerous polls even suggested that a higher voter turnout among lower-propensity voter groups could have led to an even worse defeat.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But regardless of how certain partisans might feel, that\u2019s no excuse for journalists or other democracy advocates to keep overlooking or ignoring this turnout data. Despite its dilatory vote-counting, California and other vote-at-home states are doing something remarkable.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For those truly committed to making American democracy more inclusive and representative, it\u2019s time to start paying far more attention\u2014if not embracing\u2014this vital reform.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more Trump\u2019s Dangerous Litmus Test for NIH Grants<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Voter turnout under California\u2019s vote-at-home system was off-the-charts. That\u2019s a far more important story than waiting a week for results.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":184,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,17,2],"tags":[72],"class_list":["post-185","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-books","category-government","category-politics","tag-tagged-2026-primary-elections-california-governor-national-vote-at-home-institute-vote-at-home-voter-fraud-voter-turnout"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Power of Vote at Home - USA Business Chronicle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/?p=185\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Power of Vote at Home - USA Business Chronicle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Voter turnout under California\u2019s vote-at-home system was off-the-charts. That\u2019s a far more important story than waiting a week for results.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/?p=185\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"USA Business Chronicle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-17T09:08:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usabusinesschronicle.com\\\/?p=185#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usabusinesschronicle.com\\\/?p=185\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usabusinesschronicle.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b63e0267c8881fa22972f2a01b50d366\"},\"headline\":\"The Power of Vote at Home\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-17T09:08:11+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usabusinesschronicle.com\\\/?p=185\"},\"wordCount\":1142,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usabusinesschronicle.com\\\/?p=185#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usabusinesschronicle.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/bfb342b26d4b6cf21b752f88ef3b8e23.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Tagged: 2026 primary elections,\u00a0california governor,\u00a0National Vote at Home Institute,\u00a0vote at home,\u00a0voter fraud,\u00a0voter turnout\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Books\",\"Government\",\"Politics\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/usabusinesschronicle.com\\\/?p=185#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usabusinesschronicle.com\\\/?p=185\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usabusinesschronicle.com\\\/?p=185\",\"name\":\"The Power of Vote at Home - USA Business Chronicle\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usabusinesschronicle.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usabusinesschronicle.com\\\/?p=185#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usabusinesschronicle.com\\\/?p=185#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usabusinesschronicle.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/bfb342b26d4b6cf21b752f88ef3b8e23.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-17T09:08:11+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usabusinesschronicle.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b63e0267c8881fa22972f2a01b50d366\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usabusinesschronicle.com\\\/?p=185#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/usabusinesschronicle.com\\\/?p=185\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usabusinesschronicle.com\\\/?p=185#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usabusinesschronicle.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/bfb342b26d4b6cf21b752f88ef3b8e23.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usabusinesschronicle.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/bfb342b26d4b6cf21b752f88ef3b8e23.webp\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usabusinesschronicle.com\\\/?p=185#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usabusinesschronicle.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Power of Vote at Home\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usabusinesschronicle.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usabusinesschronicle.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"USA Business Chronicle\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usabusinesschronicle.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usabusinesschronicle.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b63e0267c8881fa22972f2a01b50d366\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/usabusinesschronicle.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usabusinesschronicle.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Power of Vote at Home - USA Business Chronicle","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/?p=185","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Power of Vote at Home - USA Business Chronicle","og_description":"Voter turnout under California\u2019s vote-at-home system was off-the-charts. That\u2019s a far more important story than waiting a week for results.","og_url":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/?p=185","og_site_name":"USA Business Chronicle","article_published_time":"2026-06-17T09:08:11+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/?p=185#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/?p=185"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b63e0267c8881fa22972f2a01b50d366"},"headline":"The Power of Vote at Home","datePublished":"2026-06-17T09:08:11+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/?p=185"},"wordCount":1142,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/?p=185#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/bfb342b26d4b6cf21b752f88ef3b8e23.webp","keywords":["Tagged: 2026 primary elections,\u00a0california governor,\u00a0National Vote at Home Institute,\u00a0vote at home,\u00a0voter fraud,\u00a0voter turnout"],"articleSection":["Books","Government","Politics"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/?p=185#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/?p=185","url":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/?p=185","name":"The Power of Vote at Home - USA Business Chronicle","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/?p=185#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/?p=185#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/bfb342b26d4b6cf21b752f88ef3b8e23.webp","datePublished":"2026-06-17T09:08:11+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b63e0267c8881fa22972f2a01b50d366"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/?p=185#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/?p=185"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/?p=185#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/bfb342b26d4b6cf21b752f88ef3b8e23.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/bfb342b26d4b6cf21b752f88ef3b8e23.webp","width":2560,"height":1707},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/?p=185#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Power of Vote at Home"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/","name":"USA Business Chronicle","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b63e0267c8881fa22972f2a01b50d366","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com"],"url":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=185"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=185"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=185"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usabusinesschronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=185"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}