2022 California Primary
Jun. 6th, 2022 08:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
It's election time in California! ...Well, it's primary election time. Our state-wide primary is tomorrow. ...Actually it's been most of the past 4 weeks already. More on that below.
This year's primary brings a wealth of choices, both in the candidates on the ballots as well as how to vote. The races up for election this year include all of the state constitutional offices:
Part of the reason this system is referred to as a jungle primary is that it produces a huge number of choices. Instead of 2, 3, or 4 candidates vying for each party's nomination, across 5-6 parties, they're all in one race. Plus all the independents are there, too. For governor this year there are 26 candidates. ...Though even that is way less to process than the 46 candidates who ran to replace Gov. Newsom in the 2021 recall election.
This year's primary brings a wealth of choices, both in the candidates on the ballots as well as how to vote. The races up for election this year include all of the state constitutional offices:
- Governor
- Lt. Governor
- Attorney General
- Secretary of State
- Treasurer
- Controller
- Insurance Commissioner
- Member of State Board of Equalization (5 geographical districts)
- Superintendent of Public Instruction
"Jungle" Primary, So Many Choices
Years ago California switched to a so-called "jungle" primary system. Instead of each party holding its own primary to nominate a candidate who advances to the general election, all candidates from all parties run in a single, open primary. The top two vote-getters in each race advance to the general election in November.Part of the reason this system is referred to as a jungle primary is that it produces a huge number of choices. Instead of 2, 3, or 4 candidates vying for each party's nomination, across 5-6 parties, they're all in one race. Plus all the independents are there, too. For governor this year there are 26 candidates. ...Though even that is way less to process than the 46 candidates who ran to replace Gov. Newsom in the 2021 recall election.
So Many Ways to Vote
After years of seeing Republicans in many states drastically reducing access to the vote— which is proven to hit minority voters disproportionately hard and is exactly why they do it— it's refreshing to see that California is making access to the vote ever easier. ...No, I don't mean loosening the requirements around checking that ballots are cast (only) by registered voters; I mean the choices that we registered voters have in casting our ballots.- Early voting in-person was available as early as May 8.
- Additional polling stations opened 10 days ago and even more 3 days ago.
- Polling station hours are longer tomorrow, Election Day.
- And finally, every California voter is eligible to vote by mail. Mail ballots can either be sent by mail or dropped off at lockboxes.