California Still Counting Votes in Governor Race

California voters are learning about patience as election workers continue counting ballots from the June 2 governor race. The state uses mail-in voting for most people, which takes much longer to count than regular voting. Secretary of State Shirley Weber asked all Californians to be patient while workers finish their job. About 9 million people voted in this election, which is less than 40% of all registered voters in the state.

The candidates have spent a record amount of money on this election. The total spending reached $316 million, making it the most expensive governor race ever in California. Tom Steyer alone spent over $200 million trying to win votes. This shows how important the California governor position is to many people.

Political scientists are watching the vote counts carefully to see if patterns change. Professor Caroline Heldman from Occidental College explains that California chooses to count every vote carefully instead of rushing. She says this is more important than getting quick results. Many experts believe the final results will show Hilton and Becerra as the top two candidates.

The November general election will be between the top two vote-getters from this primary. California's jungle primary system means both candidates could be from the same political party. This makes the June primary very important because it decides which candidates voters will choose from later. The winner of the November election will become California's next governor.