In California's upcoming gubernatorial primary, early voting has shown a notable Republican advantage, with 37% of the 905,889 ballots returned by May 16 coming from Republican voters. However, experts caution that a late influx of Democratic votes could significantly alter the election outcome. Currently, only 41% of returned ballots are from Democrats, a decrease of 13 points from four years ago. As of Tuesday morning, the Democratic share of the total ballots returned has increased to 48%, while Republicans account for 32%. Democratic strategist Steve Maviglio noted that many Democratic voters are likely holding onto their ballots until the last minute to support the candidate with the most momentum. California's vote counting process is notoriously slow, allowing ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted if received within a week after. This delay means that final results may not be clear for days after the primary, potentially shifting the odds as more Democratic votes are counted. Governor Gavin Newsom has expressed concern about the impact of delayed results on public trust in the election process, urging for timely reporting to prevent the spread of misinformation.