AP18:116
For Immediate Release
July 13, 2018
Contact:
SOS Press Office
(916) 653-6575
Secretary Padilla Certifies California Primary Election Results
SACRAMENTO - Secretary of State Alex Padilla today certified the results of the June 5, 2018 Statewide Direct Primary Election.
7,141,987 ballots were cast, the most ever for a California gubernatorial primary.
37.54% of registered voters cast a ballot. This was the highest turnout of registered voters in a gubernatorial primary election since 1998.
Click here to view the complete Statement of Vote
"Civic participation is on the rise in California. California saw the highest turnout of registered voters for a gubernatorial primary in 20 years. We need to carry this momentum to the November 6, 2018 General Election. Whether or not you cast a ballot in June — make sure your voter registration is up-to-date for November. It only takes minutes to register to vote or update your registration, just visit RegisterToVote.ca.gov”
|
June 5, 2018 Statewide Primary |
June 3, 2014 Statewide Primary |
Change |
|
|
Registered Voters |
19,023,417 |
17,722,006 |
+1,301,411 |
|
Total Votes Cast |
7,141,987 |
4,461,346 |
+2,680,641 |
Voter's Choice Act
Five California counties--Madera, Napa, Nevada, Sacramento, and San Mateo--implemented a new model of conducting elections for the first time during the June 5, 2018 Statewide Direct Primary Election. In these counties, every registered voter was mailed a ballot, and voters had the option of returning their ballot by mail, at a ballot drop box, or any vote center open in their county.
All five counties exceeded the statewide turnout rate of 37.5%
Four of the five counties saw voter turnout that was higher than the county average during statewide gubernatorial primaries during the previous 20 years.
"The Voter's Choice Act proved to be a success in its very first election," Padilla said. "Voters took advantage of the flexibility that vote centers and ballot dropboxes gave them in when and where they could cast their ballots. I believe we will only continue to see increases in voter turnout as we continue to educate voters in these counties about their expanded early voting opportunities."
|
County |
June 5, 2018 Primary Election Turnout |
Historical Average – Gubernatorial Primaries (1994-2014) |
|
San Mateo |
44.32% |
35.76% |
|
Nevada |
56.94% |
50.64% |
|
Sacramento |
41.94% |
37.47% |
|
Napa |
49.24% |
46.28% |
|
Madera |
44.14% |
44.75% |
In 2020, any county in California can adopt the Voter's Choice Act model of conducting elections.
"The Voter's Choice Act provides Californians with more days and more ways to cast their ballot. This is a model to improve elections throughout our state for years to come. I'm excited to see more counties adopt the Voter's Choice Act starting in 2020," Padilla added.
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