On Thursday, soon-to-be-ex House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) called the Golden State's voting system "bizarre" and suggested there was something hinky about how long it took to know the outcome in certain races.
"When you have candidates who win the absentee ballot vote and then lose three weeks later because of provisionals, that's really bizarre," Ryan said. "I just think that's a very, very strange outcome."
Certainly Ryan and his caucus are dismayed about the outcome in the midterm elections, losing half of the already small number of GOP House seats in California, not to mention control of the House altogether. But if he's bewildered by California's voting system, perhaps it is because he's not used to states that are making it easier for people to vote.
As we have pointed out, California has enacted all sorts of measures in recent years to ensure than any qualified adult can vote if he or she wants to, from enabling people to register on election day to allowing mail ballots to be counted even if they arrive three days after the polls close. All these efforts have resulted in record registration and in record turnout.
As for why Ryan's party lost so badly in California? That was bound to happen _ the state has become more liberal, and the independent redistricting panel means that no one party can manipulate the political lines to their advantage.
If that's bizarre, it doesn't say much about what goes on in other states on election day.
