California Online Voter Guide
June 2016 Primary Election
25th edition
About this Election
California's Statewide Primary is Tuesday, June 7.
Polling places 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 by May 31.
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.
Dates and Deadlines
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April 28 - May 28 - Counties mail sample ballot booklets to all voters registered by April 8
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May 9 - First day counties can send mail ballots to regular vote-by-mail voters (military/overseas ballots go out earlier)
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May 23 - Last day to Register to Vote or update registration
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May 31 - Last day to Request a Vote-by-Mail Ballot
What's on the Ballot?
Federal contests
President of the United States
1 U.S. Senator
53 U.S. House of Representatives members
State contests:
20 California State senators
80 California State Assembly members
1 statewide proposition
Many voters have local candidates or measures on their ballots as well. Check your county sample ballot, county election office web site and Voters Edge (League of Women Voters of CA & Maplight)) for information on local contests.
Follow the Money 
Learn who the top donors are to California candidates and measures through Voters Edge, a nonpartisan voter guide produced by Maplight and the League of Women Voters of California. Visit "How to Follow the Money" to learn how to look up state and federal campaign contributions. Around the Capitol's Election Track features recently reported state campaign contributions.
Top donors for and aganist each state proposition - from the Fair Political Practices Commission
Total amounts raised for and against each state proposition - from the Secretary of State
About Primary Elections in California
Unlike your voting options in all other California political contests, your voting right in the Presidential primary depends on the political party you are registered with. If you want to change your party preference, you must fill out and submit a voter registration form no later than May 23.
Though California has a "top two" primary process, the political parties decide whether to open their Presidential primaries to independent voters, called No Party Preference voters in California. (In the November general election, you can vote for any party's Presidential candidate regardless of your party preference.)
By default, No Party Preference voters receive a ballot which has no presidential candidates listed on it. However, the Democratic, American Independent and Libertarian parties will allow No Party Preference voters to cast ballots in their Presidential primary contests. Those registered No Party Preference who wish to vote in one of these parties' primaries must request a ballot by mail or at the polls. If you received a ballot with no presidential candidates on it, contact your County Registrar of Voters. If you are a No Party Preference vote-by-mail voter, you can also bring your ballot to your polling place on Election Day and exchange it for a different ballot of your choice from one of the three parties (Demccratic, Libertarian and American Independent parties) permitting No Party Preference voters to participate in their primaries.
In all other Primary contests, all voters, whether registered with a party or not, are allowed to vote for any candidate of any party and the top two vote getters will proceed to the General election, even if they are of the same party.
For more details, see the Secretary of Stat'es No Party Preference Information page, and CVF's Ten Things to Know About California's Primary.
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 to each household, covering statewide propositions and providing statements from the U.S. Senate candidates. These two publications provide the essential information you need to prepare to vote; if you haven't received them, contact your county election office.
Please note: the online version of the Secretary of State's Voter Information Guide includes statements and photos of the candidates running for President that are not included in the print version of the guide.
Additional Web Resources
CVF recommends the following nonpartisan election web sites:
Visit CVF's Elections index page for additional election-related resources and archived editions of the California Online Voter Guide.
Secretary of State's official Voter Information Guide
Voters Edge from Maplight and the League of Women Voters of California
Secretary of State: Voting in California
The League of Women Voter's Easy Voter Guide
Resources for military and overseas voters: www.overseasvotefoundation.org
California Counts, a public radio collaboration covering the 2016 election
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 7, 2016 |
Last updated on
June 1, 2016
Copyright California Voter Foundation, All Rights Reserved.
