Election Day Tips for California Voters on Tomorrow’s Primary Election

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

From the Office of California Secretary of State
Debra Bowen

A day before the June 3, 2008, Statewide Direct Primary Election, Secretary of State Debra Bowen is offering helpful tips to voters preparing to cast their ballots.

“The more information voters have about their rights on Election Day, the more empowered they will be at the polls,” said Secretary Bowen, the state’s chief elections officer. “I encourage voters to take a moment to quickly review their rights before they head to the polls.”

DO: Know your crossover voting rights. If you are registered as a “decline-to-state” or nonpartisan voter, the American Independent, Democratic, and Republican parties are all allowing you to participate in their June 3 primaries. You have a right to request a ballot for any one of those three parties. If you do not, you will be given a nonpartisan ballot that contains ballot propositions and nonpartisan local races, but excludes partisan contests for Congress, state Senate, and state Assembly.

DO: Read up on the issues and candidates before voting. Information about statewide contests and ballot initiatives is available in the Official Voter Information Guide produced by the Secretary of State’s office and mailed to all registered voters. It’s also available online at http://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/, along with foreign language and audio versions of the guide. Sample ballot pamphlets sent out by individual counties offer more information about local candidates and measures.

DON’T: Offer incentives to voters for agreeing to vote or refrain from voting a certain way. This is illegal under state and federal law.

DO: Return your vote-by-mail ballot by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day to any polling place in the county where you are registered to vote or to your county registrar of voters. Vote-by-mail ballots received after 8:00 p.m. on Election Day will not be counted.

DON’T: Discourage or hinder anyone’s right to vote. Voter intimidation is illegal.

DO: Know your polling place. If you don’t know where your polling place is, look-up information is available at http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_ppl.htm. If you vote at a polling place in your county other than your designated location, you can request a provisional ballot, which will be counted later after an elections official verifies that you are eligible to vote and have not already voted in that election. Ballots may differ even within counties or cities, so it’s best to vote at your designated polling place to ensure you can vote on every contest and measure you’re entitled to vote on. A poll worker can give you information on how to track your provisional ballot.