According to reports from California and local election officials on October 29, over 20% of registered voters in California have already completed their mail-in or in-person voting.
Since October 7, the “deep blue” state of California has sent out ballots to all active registered voters, totaling over 22.8 million. The Secretary of State’s office stated that as of Tuesday (the 29th), nearly 4.7 million ballots (approximately 21%) have been returned to election offices through mail, drop boxes, or other methods and have been accepted. Additionally, 74,294 individuals have voted in person at polling places, and these ballots have also been accepted.
As of Tuesday, over 5 million registered voters have signed up for California’s ballot tracking service called “Where’s My Ballot,” which notifies voters about the status of their mailed ballots through email, text messages, or phone calls. Secretary of State Shirley Weber said in a statement on Tuesday, “The ballot tracking service is available statewide and we are seeing an impressive adoption rate.”
California counties are set to open thousands of polling locations statewide on November 2. Twenty-nine counties in California opened a limited number of in-person voting centers on October 26 and will continue to operate until Election Day (November 5). Several specific polling locations have been open since October 7.
All California voters have the option to vote in person at polling places or to vote by mail. Methods for returning ballots include drop boxes, designated drop-off locations, voting centers, as well as mailing and faxing. Voters can also authorize someone else to return their ballot, as long as the authorized person is not compensated on a per-ballot basis.
Secretary of State spokesperson Jordan Reilly informed Epoch Times via email that the state government is collaborating with counties to ensure all options for returning ballots are available to the public. Reilly mentioned that some ballots were rejected due to non-delivery, while others were canceled because the voters had passed away or decided not to vote. He stated, “The California Secretary of State regularly collaborates with every county in California to ensure the accuracy of returned mail ballot data.”
According to the latest data released by the Secretary of State on September 6, out of 22.3 million registered voters, nearly 10.3 million are registered as Democrats, making up around 46%; while over 5.5 million are registered as Republicans, accounting for approximately 25%. Compared to the 2020 election, both Democratic and Republican voters in California have slightly increased in numbers, with a slight decrease in the proportion of Democratic voters and a slight increase in Republican voters.
Moreover, 4.9 million individuals are registered as non-partisan voters, constituting about 23%. The number of non-partisan voters this year is slightly lower compared to 2020. Additionally, 1.6 million people are registered as members of other minor political parties, making up around 7.2% of the total number of voters.
In the 2020 presidential election, California saw a record turnout in voting. According to data from the Secretary of State’s office, out of 22 million registered voters, nearly 81% chose to vote by mail or in person. California was the eighth state to implement a permanent mail-in voting program in September 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As reported by the Public Policy Institute of California, states that send mail-in ballots to all registered voters have a voter turnout increase of approximately 4% or more. ◇