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The election was over a week ago, but we’re still anxiously awaiting the results of several key races.

The winner of the tight contest for Los Angeles mayor has yet to be determined, and more than three dozen state legislative races remain undecided. As of Tuesday night, six of the nine uncalled U.S. House races were in California.

Perhaps you’re wondering why the Golden State seems to take so long to count ballots. I was, too, so I asked some election experts for their insight.

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Too-close-to-call congressional races in California may decide power in the U.S. House of Representatives, from a Democratic majority to a Republican majority. 

The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan group that tracks and researches election results, has five California congressional races deemed a "toss-up" and six that are considered competitive. 

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An adage known as the election administrator’s prayer goes something like this: “Dear Lord, let this election not be close.”

When results are overwhelmingly clear, there are far fewer doubts about the integrity of the election process or frustrations with the procedures. 

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Thousands of vote-by-mail ballots are stacked in the Placer County Elections Office waiting to be processed and then counted, as part of the democratic process. 

There are crucial and legal steps that the teams reviewing mail-in ballots must adhere to in California to ensure every vote is accurately counted, there are no duplicate votes, and the signature on the ballot matches the name it's been assigned.