For the next week or so, ballots will be arriving at homes across California for the June 2 primary.
Since 2020, a ballot has been mailed to every active registered voter in the state – more than 23 million at last count. The time of choosing is approaching.
In addition to the governor’s race, Californians will vote in several congressional, legislative and local races, including seven other statewide offices, the Board of Equalization — which oversees the property tax system — and the primary for mayor of Los Angeles.
What is a voter to do?
If you’ve waited your whole life for a candidate like Republican Chad Bianco, the Riverside County sheriff, running for governor, or you’ve been eager to cast a gubernatorial ballot for Democrat Katie Porter since the moment she took out her famous whiteboard, the choice is easy. Fill out that ballot and put it in the mail, stat! No postage required.
“Don’t mess up,” said veteran Democratic campaign strategist Paul Maslin. (His candidate for governor, Betty Yee, left the race late last month, so he’s a neutral observer at this point.)
“If you know exactly what you want to do,” Maslin urged, “vote.”
But what if, like many people, you’re not married to a particular candidate? What if you’re worried about mailing in your ballot and then having some terrible, Eric Swalwell-like revelations come out, or if you’re worried about wasting your vote by supporting someone who dropped off a ballot before June 2?
There is no change in the California election. Once you cast your vote, you make your choice. No matter how sorry you are, that’s it.
That’s why Republican strategist Rob Stutzman, who has worked in California politics for decades, urged voters not to mail their ballots too early. Like Maslin, he is unaffiliated with any gubernatorial campaign.
“This is a slow-developing race,” Stutzman said of the contest for governor, which was a major attraction in June voting. “These are still relatively little-known candidates. There’s even more campaigning to be done in the coming weeks. (So) unless you feel really strongly about anyone, I would hang on to that ballot and see what happens over the next several weeks.”
So then, with all the talk of banning mail-in ballots and concerns about delays in processing by an extended-stretched Postal Service, is there a danger of waiting too long to vote? What happens if your ballot arrives before the tally deadline?
In March, the US Supreme Court strongly hinted at the possibility that mail ballots would need to be received by Election Day if they are to be legally counted. As it stands, California accepts mail-in ballots that were cast before the end of Election Day, as long as they arrive seven days later.
It seems likely that the court will not be able to issue its decision before the June primary – but that is not guaranteed.
So is there a happy difference between voting in a hurry and having your ballot ruined?
The official voter information guide, produced by the California Secretary of State, urges those voting by mail to “return your ballot as soon as it is received.”
But Kim Alexander, head of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation, Wait a bit and falls into the camp. “Don’t vote too early,” he advised, “because this is a very dynamic election.”
Once you’ve made up your mind, their best advice is to mail your ballot at least a full week before Election Day, i.e. May 26, to ensure it arrives in time to be processed and counted. If someone wants to drop off their ballot in person at a voting center or secure drop box, Alexander suggests doing so by May 30, which is three days before the election.
“The good news is that under a new state law … all county elections offices will be open at least six hours on Saturday, May 30, so voters can vote in person or submit their vote-by-mail ballots,” he said.
Voting in person is an option until 8 p.m. on Election Day, even if you received a mail-in ballot. This applies everywhere in California, except three less populated, rural counties – Alpine, Plumas and Sierra – which conduct their elections entirely by mail. Bring your unused vote-by-mail ballot to your local polling place and exchange it for a polling-place ballot that you can use instead.
Procrastinators or those who choose to wait until Election Day to mail their ballot run the risk that it will not be postmarked by then. after 2 June. This means it will not be counted, regardless of when it arrives at their county elections office.
“Voters who want to vote as long as possible … should plan to turn in their ballot to a drop box or polling place and not use the mail at all,” Alexander said.
Having spent decades working to make voting easier and elections safe and smooth, Alexander knows that voting by mail causes many people to miss out on the “Election Day experience.” (Things like bringing kids into the voting booth, or posing for selfies with “I Voted” stickers.)
His suggestion is to find other ways to mark the occasion.
“Help someone else go and vote,” suggested Alexander, “or volunteer to help an organization that runs a get-out-the-vote operation.”
“If you want to help election officials get ahead in counting votes” — a frequent source of irritation as the nation awaits California’s lagging results — “you can be part of the solution by getting your ballot in just a little bit early.”
These all seem like good ideas. This is how you can celebrate Election Day And Make sure your vote doesn’t go waste.
