Votes are recorded by filling in the dots on a scantronic ballot form.
The form is scanned and the votes are tallied electronically.
The original paper ballot is archived, and can be re-scanned (or hand counted) if a recount is required.
This combines the best of both worlds: speed and accuracy of electronic tally, and the original hand-filled paper ballot is retained as a record.
https://calmatters.org/newsletter/california-certified-elect...
1. California allows mail in ballots to be counted if they arrive up to 7 days after the election. 2. California requires a 1% manual tally. This can take a really long time in a big jurisdiction like LA.
Note that this doesn't mean you don't know the likely answer relatively quickly. The 5 weeks is about how long it takes to have a certified result.
My charitable interpretation of that is that they have a huge blindside for people who need to work crazy hours, look after kids, or for disabled people who need to do a lot of planning to get to a physical location they don't frequent. Or simply people out of town or country that day (soldiers on tour are a big one, my parents are rarely in town to vote). They are so distrusting of mail they forget that people can't all be expected to be in a single spot for a single day.
https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ovsta/frequently-requested-...
For example, LA uses Ballot Marking Devices.
Which means many companies can make the equipment/systems...