While most of California's population is packed in cities near the coast, the "other California," as some say, is rural, lots of it, and both the densely populated and the sparsely populated areas have unique problems to solve.

I have lived in both. IMO, the universal mail-in ballot is great in many ways, and please don't forget that the current regime of 2020 election deniers equates "voter fraud" with "We disagree with the results".

Two paradigms apply to the cult:

1. Every accusation is a confession.

2. An entire group is defined by a designated outlier. (Think "Willie Horton")

But technical issues of very late vote count are above my pay level to diagnose and fix, even to what extent any fixing is worthwhile. Think Pareto Principle. You want to fix the 20% of causes that lead to 80% of the problem. Both neglect and perfectionism are common enemies.

Whenever the obvious drawbacks of mail-in voting are brought to light, the massive cope machine comes out in full force.

Many of the flaws are self-imposed. The requirement for ballots to merely be postmarked by election day is insane. If my utility bill is due on June 5, it's due on the 5th, not postmarked by. I will pay penalties.

If you have the privilege of voting by mail then be an adult and mail it promptly so it arrives by election day when all ballots should be counted. Ballots arriving after should be summarily rejected.