New York: Tesla CEO Elon Musk praised India’s electoral system after the country successfully counted 640 million votes in a single day during state Assembly elections and by-elections. Musk contrasted this efficiency with the ongoing delays in California’s vote counting process, where ballots from the November 5 elections remain uncounted weeks later.
“India counted 640 million votes in 1 day. California is still counting votes,” Musk wrote on X, sharing a news article detailing India’s record-breaking election tally. His tweet came in response to another post that mocked the delay in California’s vote counting, noting that the state, despite having a population of nearly 39 million people, was still processing 15 million votes 18 days after the election.
The delayed counting in California has been attributed to its size and the high number of mail-in ballots, which require more time for individual validation and processing. This slow pace has led to criticism, especially since it took weeks to finalize results during the 2020 presidential election. Despite the delays, election officials maintain that California could take several more weeks to announce final results, a process that Musk highlighted with his remarks on X.
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Musk also recently showed support for India’s satellite broadband initiatives, praising the Indian government’s decision to allocate spectrum for satellite broadband through an administrative process rather than auctions. “Much appreciated. We will do our best to serve the people of India with Starlink,” Musk posted in October, signaling a victory over Indian telecom giants who had advocated for the auction route.
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