Elon Musk praises India’s efficient vote counting; takes a potshot at California

Elon Musk criticizes California’s delays

Elon Musk commended India’s efficient vote-counting process on Sunday, contrasting it with the prolonged delays in California’s election tallying. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Musk highlighted how India managed to count 640 million votes just one day after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, while California continued counting votes nearly 20 days after the November 5 US presidential election.

In response to a post sharing a media report titled “How India counted 640 million votes in a day,” Musk remarked, “India counted 640 million votes in 1 day. California is still counting votes.”

India’s efficiency in counting millions of votes in a single day stands in stark contrast to the extended delays in California, the most populous state in the US. Despite having over 900 million eligible voters in the Lok Sabha elections, with 642 million voters casting their ballots, India declared its results promptly. This was made possible by the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs), which have been in use since 2000, ensuring quick and accurate counting. Additionally, the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system, introduced to enhance transparency, provides a paper slip for each vote cast, available for verification if needed.

India also employs simultaneous vote counting across 543 constituencies, overseen by the Election Commission of India (ECI), following strict procedures that include processing postal ballots before EVM votes. In recent state elections, including those in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, India successfully counted nearly 90 million votes in just a few hours, with Maharashtra’s population being four times that of California.

On the other hand, California, which conducts most of its elections by mail, has faced significant delays in processing votes. With over 300,000 ballots still uncounted weeks after the election, the prolonged delays have drawn criticism, including from Musk. The time-consuming process in California includes steps such as signature verification, sorting ballots, and opening envelopes before the votes can be tallied. Unlike India’s centralized election oversight by the ECI, the US relies on state and local election offices, each with varying laws, resources, and procedures, which has contributed to the delays.

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