California Online Voter Guide
June 2010 Statewide Primary Election
19th edition
About this Election
California's Statewide Primary is Tuesday, June 8.
Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.
Voters who prefer to vote by mail can request a Vote by Mail ballot.
Unsure of your voter registration status? Looking for your polling place? Contact your county election office.
See CVF's Voting FAQ for more information about voting in California.
CVF's Map of California Voting Systems and County-by-County Directory of Voting Systems provide details about each county's voting system.
Deadlines
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Last Day to Register to Vote - May 24
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Last Day to Request a Vote by Mail Ballot - June 1
What's on the Ballot?
Federal contests:
One statewide contest for the U.S. Senate
53 U.S. House of Representatives members
State contests:
8 statewide offices (including Governor)
80 California State Assembly members
20 California State Senate senators
4 Board of Equalization representatives
5 statewide propositions
Many voters have local candidates or measures on their ballots as well. Check your county sample ballot, county election office web site and SmartVoter (League of Women Voters of CA) for information on local contests.
Follow the Money 
The Propositions pages of this guide identify the top donors for and against each measure on the ballot. Visit "How to Follow the Money" to learn how to look up state and federal campaign contributions.
About Primary Elections in California
Primary elections are held so that political parties can choose nominees who will compete against each other in the fall General election.
If you are registered to a political party you may only vote for candidates of that party. (If you are unsure of your party registration status contact your county elections office.)
This election, the Democratic and Republican parties are permitting voters who are not registered with a party and are independent (so-called "decline-to-state" voters) to cast ballots in their primary contests.
"Decline-to-State" voters who want to vote in a partisan primary must request a partisan ballot by mail or at the polls; otherwise you will automatically be given a nonpartisan ballot featuring only nonpartisan contests.
For more information see this page from the Secretary of State's voter information guide and CVF's Voting FAQ page.
Official Sample Ballots and Voter Guides
If you are a registered voter, your county election office will mail you an official Sample Ballot providing your polling place location, a Vote By Mail ballot application and information on any local contests on your ballot. In addition, the Secretary of State mails out the Voter Information Guide covering statewide propositions. These two publications provide the basic information you need to prepare to vote; if you haven't received them, contact your county election office.
Additional Web Resources
Visit CVF's Elections index page for additional election-related resources and archived editions of the California Online Voter Guide. CVF recommends the following nonpartisan election web sites:
Secretary of State's official Voter Information Guide
Secretary of State's My Voice, My Choice, My Vote web site
The League of Women Voter's Easy Voter Guide and SmartVoter web site
Around the Capitol's Election Track featuring up-to-date campaign contribution data
Resources for military and overseas voters: www.overseasvotefoundation.org
Was this guide helpful?
Do you have suggestions, questions, or feedback? Please contact CVF. If you found this guide helpful, please donate to CVF and help support nonpartisan voter education.
This page was first published on April
22, 2010 |
Last updated on
June 9, 2010
Copyright California Voter Foundation, All Rights Reserved.
