MARCH 3, 2020, PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY ELECTION UPDATE
Presidential Primary Party Information
Once every four years, the state of California conducts a party Primary Election. The purpose of this election is for the voters registered within a party to help select a presidential nominee to represent that party in the November General Election.
If you are a voter who is registered with a political party, you will receive a ballot that contains presidential nominees for that party only.
If you are a voter who is not registered with a political party, also known as “No Party Preference”, you will receive a ballot that does not contain any presidential nominees. However, you have the option to crossover and choose to request a ballot that contains nominees for the American Independent Party, Democratic Party, or Libertarian Party, for this election only without changing your voter registration.
If you would like to vote for presidential nominees in the Green Party, Peace and Freedom Party, or the Republican Party, then you must be a registered voter with that party.
The Voter Registration and Elections Office mailed cards to No Party Preference voters last week, asking if they would like to crossover and vote for certain party’s presidential candidates. You may return the card, postage paid, or call or email the Voter Registration & Elections Office to request this option.
The Voter Registration and Elections Office has received numerous calls and emails from voters in response to a postcard sent to voters registered as “No Party Preference,” or NPP, meaning that these voters are not registered with a qualified political party in California. Many believe they have received this notice in error. If you have interacted with the DMV over the past two years, your voter registration may have inadvertently changed. It is important for you to confirm your voter registration information is correct.
Some voters may have unknowingly changed their party registration to No Party Preference as a result of skipping the party preference question while completing a driver license, ID card or change of address transaction with the DMV. This may have caused a voter’s party to default to No Party Preference, even if they had previously been registered with a qualified political party.
All voters are encouraged to check their registration status online at Voter Lookup. Voters who need to change their registration are encouraged to re-register to vote to make sure that their records are updated before the March Presidential Primary. Re-registration may be completed online at registertovote.ca.gov.
The registration deadline for the March Primary is February 18, 2020. After February 18, voters may register or re-register at the Registrar of Voters’ Office or any Vote Center and cast a Conditional Voter Registration Provisional Ballot, but voters are strongly encouraged to register or re-register early to avoid the lines.
For more information, contact VRE at (916) 875-6451, email voterinfo@saccounty.net, or by using the toll-free voter assistance hotline at (800) 762-8019. The hotline has the ability to connect voters with disabilities with TTY (Text Telephone).
Early voting at the Registrar of Voters’ Office begins February 3, 2020. Vote Centers will open beginning February 22, 2020. Please visit our website at elections.saccounty.net for more information.
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