Ballots head to mailboxes for California’s June 2 primary

Counties across California are mailing vote-by-mail ballots to all active registered voters. The ballots are for the June 2 primary, which will narrow the field of candidates for the November general election. Some contests with only one or two candidates may be decided outright.

Races on the ballot include governor, all 52 U.S. House seats, all 80 state Assembly seats, 20 state Senate seats and a range of local contests.

Voters should keep an eye out for three pieces of mail: a state voter information guide from the Secretary of State, a county voter information guide, and the ballot itself. State guides went out earlier in the spring, and most county guides have already been mailed.

Kim Alexander, president and founder of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation, said voters don't have to weigh in on every race.

"Voting isn't a test," she said. "There are a lot of contests on this ballot. Some of them you may feel confident about who you want to select, and others you may not. And it's perfectly fine to only vote on the contest that you feel really strongly about and skip the contest that you're uncertain about."

Voter registration

The deadline to register online or by mail is May 18. After that date, voters can still register and cast a ballot the same day through Election Day at a county elections office, vote center, or polling place.

Registration is available at registertovote.ca.gov.

What if your ballot doesn't arrive?

Voters who don't receive a ballot by the end of the week should contact their county elections office.

"If people don't have their ballot by the end of the week, say by May 8th or 9th or something like that, they can give our office a call," said Ken Casparis, public information officer for the Sacramento County Department of Voter Registration and Elections. Elections offices can void the original ballot and reissue a new one.

How to vote

Voters can return their ballots by mail, drop them at a county ballot drop box, or hand them in at a vote center, polling place or county elections office. Mailed ballots must be postmarked by June 2 and received by elections officials no later than June 9.

In-person early voting opens on a staggered schedule in Voter's Choice Act counties, which include Sacramento and Placer. The first vote centers open Saturday, May 23, with additional locations opening Saturday, May 30. Polls will be open on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Placer County offers a "Sign, Scan and Go" service, which allows voters to bring their vote-by-mail ballot to a vote center, have it scanned in person, and sign the roster instead of the return envelope. The service is available at all 30 of Placer's vote center locations.

When to send your ballot

While voters will have nearly a month with their ballots, Alexander recommends mail-in voters send theirs a week before Election Day to ensure timely postmarking. Recent changes at the U.S. Postal Service have caused delays for some voters in rural areas.

"We know there's been changes with the post office in how postmarks are handled that has resulted in voters, particularly living in rural areas, standing a greater chance of having their mail delayed in terms of when it gets postmarked," Alexander said.

Voters who live more than 50 miles from a postal processing facility are most likely to be affected.

Tracking your ballot

The Secretary of State's "Where's My Ballot?" tool sends voters automatic updates by text message, email, or phone call when their ballot is mailed, received, and counted. Voters can sign up at wheresmyballot.sos.ca.gov, or directly at ballottrax.net.

If a ballot's signature doesn't match the one on file, the county will reach out to the voter and give them a chance to correct the problem.

Election Day is Tuesday, June 2.