STILL WAITING IN CALIFORNIA

On 2026-06-08, Representative Kevin Kiley (R-CA-3) delivered a floor speech titled "STILL WAITING IN CALIFORNIA" in the House.

STILL WAITING IN CALIFORNIA

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 96 (Monday, June 8, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 96 (Monday, June 8, 2026)] [House] [Pages H3915-H3916] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] STILL WAITING IN CALIFORNIA (Mr. Kiley of California was recognized to address the House for 5 minutes.) Mr. KILEY of California. Mr. Speaker, we had an election in California last Tuesday. It is now the following Monday, and the State still has millions of votes to count. How can this be? Nothing like this happens in any other State in the country or, for that matter, any other democratic country in the world. California's absurdly slow, glacial vote counting has been the subject of broad, sweeping bipartisan criticism. The Washington Post's editorial board called it a national embarrassment. The New York Times' editorial board said that California's elections are something out of the pre-telegraph era. How does the State justify this process of taking a month to count votes? They generally offer two excuses. First, they say that California is a really big State. The problem with that argument is that this doesn't come as a surprise every election that we have a lot of people. Maybe you should prepare for that. There are other big States in the United States that manage to count their votes on election night, and there are other, much larger countries around the world, like India, that manage to count their votes a lot more quickly than California does. The second excuse you get is that California is just trying to make sure that every vote is counted and that the people have every possible means of participating. Throughout my time in office, I have supported measures to make voting as accessible to folks as possible, but that has nothing to do with taking a month to count votes. As a matter of fact, if you look at the nonpartisan Elections Performance Index, California ranks 41 out of 50. This measures things like the share of voter turnout, voter registration, transparency, and so forth. California not only has the slowest elections. It actually tends to perform worse across every metric than the rest of the country does. Make no mistake, this is an attempt to cloak administrative incompetence under a disguise of false civic virtue. The consequences for our democracy should not be understated. When we take weeks and weeks to count votes, with the results often changing based upon what they were on election night, it fosters distrust in the entire process. It also creates great instability, as people don't know and the representatives themselves don't know who will be their school board member, county supervisor, city councilor, State legislator, or Member of Congress. Mr. Speaker, I have introduced, along with my colleagues from California here in the House, the Election Results Accountability Act, which says, very simply, that California needs to get its act together. California needs to count votes in a timely manner and give folks results in a timely manner and in a way that should be expected of a well-functioning democratic society. Recognizing Sonbol Aliabadi Mr. KILEY of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and congratulate Sonbol Aliabadi, the longtime executive director for the Sierra College Foundation, on her retirement at the end of May 2026. Throughout her 22-year tenure, Sonbol aided the foundation in expanding access and opportunity for Sierra College students by mobilizing more than $22 million in community support funds and awarding nearly $7 million in scholarships, as well as by delivering on many other major initiatives. Sonbol's contributions reduced barriers, enabling more students to enroll and continue their education, and strengthened the Sierra College community. [[Page H3916]] Under Sonbol's leadership, the foundation has helped launch a variety of student support programs, such as the Veterans Success Center, the Student Assistance Fund Endowment, the Basic Needs Center, the Guardian Scholars Program, and more. Earlier this year, the program Endow-a-Bed launched under Sonbol's leadership, providing free room and board for 10 students in the school's new student housing. The foundation has also worked to fund educational and extracurricular opportunities for students, such as the Sierra College Athletics Program and career and technical education programs. Moreover, they have helped provide services to students with intellectual and developmental disabilities and have supported programs that embrace a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in the school. Valued by so many, Sonbol is known for her leadership and guidance in the foundation. Her passion for supporting students on their educational journey encourages those around her to put students first, as she does. Her devoted efforts have made a lasting difference in the lives of countless Sierra College students and have contributed to the growth and success of the school. As a former educator, I have appreciated the opportunity to work with Sonbol since my time in elected office. It is a true honor to represent such inspirational and effective community leaders like Sonbol. Therefore, on behalf of the United States House of Representatives, I am honored to join the community in celebrating Sonbol Aliabadi's successful career and service to the Sierra College community over the past two decades, and I wish her the very best in her next chapter. ____________________