This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.
There has been a lot of coverage about the crowded field of candidates seeking to become California’s next governor.
It’s especially crowded because this is an open-seat contest, with no incumbent running. Also California conducts state elections under “open primary” rules where all candidates from all parties appear on the primary ballot, so voters can vote for any candidate they wish, regardless of the voter’s party preference.
In the general election the top two vote-getters face off and may be of the same party. This has happened in the past. But what has never happened before is two Republicans running against each other statewide.
Democratic Party strategists have been worrying about that. While party leaders have pressured candidates with low polling numbers to bow out — which they technically can’t do because their names are on the ballot — others are urging voters to “vote late” and wait to see if any candidates stand down their campaigns.
Regardless of how one feels about this situation, let’s stop saying “vote late” and instead say “vote close to Election Day.” That is exactly what I am planning to do.
This is a very fluid election, and I believe voting is precious, as do a lot of other people in our state.
There are few things worse than not voting. One is casting a vote-by-mail ballot and having it go uncounted because it arrives too late. Another is voting too early only to have your pick drop out of the race.
I am sympathetic to California voters who face this quandary. But we also face lateness problems with our elections: late arriving ballots can get rejected, and late election results determined days or weeks after Election Day can undermine voter confidence.
Gov. Gavin Newsom recently urged counties to “count faster,” but that is not where the problem lies. We are the problem, us voters.
We turn in ballots in envelopes on Election Day that take time and care to process and cannot be processed until after Election Day. Processing these ballots — which account for as much as a quarter of all ballots cast — creates a bottleneck I like to call “the pig in the python” effect. It prevents counties from doing other tasks they need to do to certify the results.
When is it smart to vote?
Make a plan. Decide now when you want to vote. Here are some options, listed in order of my preference:
If you want to help speed up the vote count and see your results in totals on Election Night, then return your completed vote-by-mail ballot in-person to an official county ballot drop box, election office or voting site on or before May 30th, the Saturday before Election Day.
If you want to take as much time as possible, plan to vote in person on Election Day on June 2.
If you want to submit your ballot by mail, then plan to do that at least a full week before Election Day; that’s Tuesday, May 26.
Saturday, May 30th is the sweet spot for me, because it provides more time and, for the first time, all county election offices will be open at least six hours that day. But that means deciding by Friday, May 29th who I am voting for.
In the meantime, I suggest you keep talking to friends, attending events, watching debates and engaging in social media discussions.
What we are seeing is a remarkable degree of interest, which is rare for a statewide non-presidential primary. Historically this type of election has the lowest voter turnout.
So take your time, but don’t wait too long. And if you vote a little early but still want something to do on Election Day, bring balloons or flowers to a nearby voting site. Wear your “I Voted” sticker. Help someone else vote.
When results come in on Election Night you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing your votes are in the count.
