Angel Chen, a Republican National Committee staff member, makes campaign calls for Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, in June. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)
Vote, people! For the love of all that is good and pure and right, vote!
In the race to register voters before what folks are apocalyptically calling THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION OF ALL TIME, which we think happens every four years, we are disappointed to report that California is trailing the numbers it hit back in 2020 (the last most important election of all time).
Eighty-five percent of the Golden State’s eligible voters were registered by September 2020.
Today, only 83% are.
Granted, there are more actual voters registered now than back then (22.3 million vs. 21.2 million), but there are also nearly 2 million more eligible voters.
Two million eligible, unregistered voters! That’s more than the entire population of a dozen states! You have no right to complain if you do not vote. It’s one of the few civic duties asked of us, and it’s a lot easier than jury duty or getting drafted.
• Also see: Study: Underrepresentation of eligible voters of color persists despite growth in California
Los Angeles County is bucking the slowpoke trend and putting the rest of SoCal to shame: There, 85.7% of eligible voters are already registered (5.7 million).
Orange County hit the state average, with 83% of eligible folks registered (1.8 million people).
Riverside is trailing a bit, with 82% of eligible folks registered (1.3 million); as is San Bernardino, with just 81% registered (1.2 million).
The Laguna Woods Democratic Club’s Register-to-Vote Mobile (Photo by Joel Goldstein)
You can’t vote, people, vote, if you don’t register, people, register!
There’s still time. In California, registrations must be postmarked or submitted electronically no later than 15 days before Election Day, Nov. 5. That makes the deadline for registering Oct. 21, according to the Secretary of State.
Some props are due, though, to the SoCal counties, which have seen the largest increases in registration statewide since September 2020.
• Also see: Election 2024: For young LGBTQ+ voters, casting a ballot comes with unique challenges
Riverside is tops, registering an additional 179,336 voters.
Orange is next, with an additional 140,571; then San Bernardino, with 122,454; San Diego, with 68,960; and Los Angeles, with 64,997.
What party are these registered voters affiliated with, you’re wondering? Statewide, 46% are Democrats; 25% are Republican; and 23% have no party preference.
It’s different, however, in the counties:
In progressive Los Angeles County, 52.4% are Democrats, 18% are Republicans, and 23% have no party preference.
Students filled out online voter registration applications in Riverside in 2017 after the state announced that eligible 16 and 17-year-old youth could pre-register online. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Orange County still has strong conservative leanings, despite its new more progressive majority that backed Democrats in the last two presidential elections: 37% are Democrats, 34% are Republicans, and 23% have no party preference.
The Inland Empire counties, with a reputation for being more conservative than O.C., actually have more registered Democrats than O.C. In Riverside County, 39.6% are Democrats, 32% are Republicans and 20% have no party preference; while in San Bernardino, 40% are Democrats, 30% are Republicans and 21% have no party preference.
This is the most important election EVER! And there are almost three weeks to register. Details on how to do that are at www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration. Get on it, people! This is THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION OF ALL TIME!
At least until next time.
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