California primary: 13.6% of Riverside County ballots have been returned as Election Day nears

With California’s primary races set to conclude with Election Day on Tuesday, just over one in 10 Riverside County registered voters — and 15% of voters statewide — have returned their ballots, a pace well below the turnout rate seen during the recall election of Gov. Gavin Newsom last September.

The Riverside County registrar’s office reported that 13.6%, or about 178,000 of the roughly 1.3 million ballots sent to registered voters countywide, had been returned by Monday.

The turnout seen in Riverside County has been fairly close to the statewide rate: 15% of the roughly 22 million ballots sent to California voters had been returned as of Monday, according to an analysis from Political Data Inc.

The statewide analysis shows registered Democrats have returned roughly 1.69 million ballots, while Republican voters have cast about 837,000 votes in the primary election, which got underway with early voting May 9.

More: California primary: Ballots head to voters Monday. Key facts about Riverside, state races

More: California primary: How to register to vote and cast your ballot in the Coachella Valley

The statewide data shows a wide disparity in voter turnout by age: For example, 31% of registered voters above the age of 65 have returned their ballots, while just 6% of voters between the age of 18 and 34 have.

The turnout rate of the 2022 primary has been well below the level of participation in the attempted recall of Newsom last fall. The day before the recall election, more than a third of registered voters, including 34.7% of Riverside County voters, had already returned their ballots — more than twice the level of turnout seen in the county for this year's primary.

With Election Day on Tuesday, there are plenty of ways for residents to cast their ballot. Registered voters can return their vote-by-mail ballots through the mail or at an official ballot drop-off box, or they can drop their ballot off or vote in person at 145 vote centers across Riverside County, which will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday.

While the voter registration deadline has passed for residents to receive a vote-by-mail ballot, people can still cast their ballots through conditional voter registration, which allows them to register and cast a provisional ballot at any county vote center through Election Day.

A full list of the Coachella Valley’s ballot drop-off locations and vote centers can be found below.

Ballot drop-off locations

• Cathedral City Library* 33520 Date Palm Drive, Cathedral City, CA 92234

• City of Cathedral City** 68700 Avenida Lalo Guerrero, Cathedral City, CA 92234

• City of Coachella** 53462 Enterprise Way, Coachella, CA 92236

• Coachella Community Center* 51251 Douma St., Coachella, CA 92236

• City of Desert Hot Springs** 11999 Palm Drive, Desert Hot Springs, CA 92240

• Desert Hot Springs Senior Center* 11777 West Drive, Desert Hot Springs, CA 92240

• City of Indian Wells** 44950 Eldorado Drive, Indian Wells, CA 92210

• City of Indio** 100 Civic Center Mall, Indio, CA 92201

• Indio Community Center* 45871 Clinton St., Indio, CA

• La Quinta City Hall** 78495 Calle Tampico, La Quinta, CA 92253

• Trilogy at La Quinta* 60750 Trilogy Parkway, La Quinta, CA 92253

• Mecca County Library* 91260 66th Ave., Mecca, CA 92254

• City of Palm Desert** 73510 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert, CA 92260

• Palm Desert Library* 73300 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert, CA 92260

• The Shops at Palm Desert* 72840 Highway 111, Palm Desert, CA 92260

• City of Palm Springs** 3200 E, Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262

• James O. Jessie Desert Highland Unity Center* 480 W. Tramview, Palm Springs, CA 92262

• City of Rancho Mirage** 69825 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270

• The River* 71800 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270

• Coachella Valley Animal Campus* 72050 Pet Land Place, Thousand Palms, CA 92276

*Open Monday through Friday (excluding holidays), 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Election Day, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

**Open during regular city business hours Monday, and Election Day, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Coachella Valley vote centers

• Cathedral City Hall, Study Session Room 68700 Avenida Lalo Guerrero, Cathedral City, CA 92234

• Cathedral City Library, Meeting Room 33520 Date Palm Drive, Cathedral City, CA 92234

• Northgate Community Church, Rooms 1, 2 & 3 30010 Date Palm Drive, Cathedral City, CA 92234

• Coachella Community Center, Bagdouma Park / Main Room, 51251 Douma Street, Coachella, CA 92236

• Coachella Branch Library, Large Meeting Room 1500 6th St., Coachella, CA 92236

• Desert Hot Springs Library, Community Meeting Room, 14380 Palm Drive, Desert Hot Springs, CA 92240

• Desert Hot Springs Senior Center, West Room, 11777 West Drive, Desert Hot Springs, CA 92240

• Indian Wells City Hall, Council Chambers 44950 Eldorado Drive, Indian Wells, CA 92210

• Indio Corporate Yard, Lobby 83101 Avenue 45, Indio, CA 92201

• Indio High School, Multi-Purpose Room, 81750 Avenue 46, Indio, CA 92201

• Indio Library, Meeting Room, 200 Civic Center Mall, Indio, CA 92201

• La Quinta City Hall, Study Session Room 78495 Calle Tampico, La Quinta, CA 92253

• Riverside County Office of Education, Conference, Room 126 & 127, 47110 Calhoun Street, Indio, CA 92201

• Thomas Jefferson Middle School, Multi-Purpose Room, 83089 Highway 111, Indio, CA 92201

• Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle School, Multi-Purpose Room, 43495 Palm Royale Drive, La Quinta, CA 92253

• Trilogy at La Quinta, Desert Vista Ballroom, 60750 Trilogy Parkway, La Quinta, CA, 92253

• Mecca County Library, Meeting Room, 91260 66th Ave., Mecca, CA 92254

• Palm Desert Community Center, Gymnasium, 43900 San Pablo Ave., Palm Desert, CA 92260

• Palm Desert High School, Technology Room, 74910 Aztec Road, Palm Desert, CA 92260

• Portola Community Center, Multi-Purpose Room, 45480 Portola Ave., Palm Desert, CA 92260

• The Shops at Palm Desert, 72840 Highway 111, Palm Desert, CA 92260

• Demuth Community Center, Gymnasium 3601 E. Mesquite Ave., Palm Springs, CA 92264

• James O. Jessie Desert Highland Unity Center, Gymnasium, 480 W. Tramview Road, Palm Springs, CA 92262

• Palm Springs Public Library, Learning Center, 300 S. Sunrise Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262

• Rancho Mirage Library, Annenberg Room, 71100 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270

• The River, A103, 71800 Highway 111 Rancho Mirage, CA 92270

• Della S Lindley Elementary School, Multi-Purpose Room, 31495 Robert Road, Thousand Palms, CA 92276

Vote centers will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Election Day, when they will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Election results

Polls close Tuesday at 8 p.m. and election results will not be available before The Desert Sun's print deadlines. Please visit desertsun.com for updated results Tuesday evening and Wednes. Our Thursday print editions will include election results.

Tom Coulter covers politics and can be reached at thomas.coulter@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: California primary turnout: 13.6% of Riverside County ballots returned