|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Last week, the office of California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber provided updates on ballot return statistics for the Nov. 5 General Election.
Since the state began sending out ballots by mail earlier this month to all registered voters in all 58 counties, more than 2.8 million residents have voted. So far, the state has accepted 98% of those ballots, the majority of which were returned by mail.
Some residents cast their votes in-person, amounting to a total of 4,709 ballots.
The highest number of voter registration and ballot returns came from counties with dense populations such as Los Angeles County, San Francisco County, San Diego County, and Orange County.
On Oct. 25, the Secretary of State’s office partnered with Ethnic Media Services (EMS) and California Black Media (CBM) to host a news briefing on essential resources to prepare voters to cast their ballots properly and inform them about what the state is doing to protect their votes.
“As long your ballot is postmarked by election day, November 5th,
and received by November 12th, it will be processed and counted,” said Joe Kocurek, Deputy Secretary of State for Communications, during the briefing.
“If people feel like their mail isn’t reliable or they’re a little more concerned, they should probably mail it in as soon as they possibly can. If they don’t want to do it that way, they have the in-person voting center options, which are open now,” added Kocurek.
Last week, Weber also announced that residents who missed the online registration deadline on Oct. 21, still have the opportunity to register to vote. The Secretary’s office confirmed that residents can participate in “same day” voter registration and cast a ballot at their county elections office, a designated voting center, or polling place in their respective county.
“You don’t have to wait for Election Day. To minimize wait times, I encourage Californians who need “Same Day” voter registration to visit an early voting location or their county elections office before Election Day to ensure their voices are heard,” said Weber.
Citizens who are eligible for “same day” voter registration are required to fill out a complementary form in order to receive a ballot. The vote will be counted once county officials have completed the verification process for that voter’s registration.
According to the office of the Secretary of State, residents can find more information at these links:
For “Same Day” registration visit: caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov. Check online voter registration status here: voterstatus.sos.ca.gov. Active registered voters can track their ballot on: wheresmyballot.sos.ca.gov.
Important dates
- Vote centers open for early in-person voting in all Voter’s Choice Act counties beginning on October 26, 2024.
- Mailed vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by November 12, 2024.
Information about county elections offices can be found at sos.ca.gov/elections/voting-resources/county-elections-offices.
