The delay in certifying the 119th Congress results, particularly in California, has sparked concern among lawmakers about the impact on public trust in elections. Republican Rep. Jay Obernolte introduced a bill mandating that 90% of ballots be reported within 72 hours post-election, with full certification completed in two weeks. The current varied state deadlines contribute to confusion and mistrust. While originating from Republican sponsors, the need for reform garners some bipartisan support, with Democrats emphasizing the need for funding to improve processes.
"Everyone has experienced the heartache of seeing their candidate ahead, then behind, then ahead, then behind, and it really diminishes people's trust in the integrity of our elections, whether or not that mistrust is well-founded," Republican Rep. Jay Obernolte told NOTUS.
"No matter which candidate you should support or which political party you're a member of, it is not good for our democracy to have the results of elections counted over a period of a month instead of days," Obernolte said.
"Are we going to have the funding to get the capacity to do it? We're going to need more funding," Rep. Ro Khanna said.
"Obviously we'd all love for California to speed up the tabulation of votes," Bera said.
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