Save the date: What to know about San Joaquin County's June 7 primary election
The June 7 Primary Election will host San Joaquin County’s first-ever three-card ballot: two double-sided pages and a third one-sided page. From U.S. Congress and California governor to judges and local school boards, voters will thin the herd — and in some cases elect a winner — to set the stage for the November General Election.
Here are a few things to know to be ready to vote in San Joaquin County:
Register to vote
You will need to be registered to vote in San Joaquin County to cast a vote in the June 7 Primary Election. To register to vote in California, you must be:
a United States citizen and a resident of California
at least 18 years old on Election Day
not currently serving a state or federal prison term for the conviction of a felony
Californians can register to vote at the Secretary of State’s website or by filling out a paper voter registration form at the San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters’ office at 44 N. San Joaquin St. in Stockton. The deadline to register to vote by these methods is May 23.
Those who miss the May 23 deadline can still register to vote through Conditional Voter Registration — essentially no different than registering to vote before the deadline — at the county Registrar of Voters’ office, or at a polling location on Election Day.
Mail-in ballots: everybody gets one
Every registered voter in California will receive a mail-in ballot this election cycle. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB37 into law last September, making the universal mail-in ballots brought into play by the pandemic permanent. Californians were sent mail-in ballots for the 2020 Presidential Election when voter turnout exceeded 70%, participation not seen in over half a century.
San Joaquin County voters will start receiving mail-in ballots May 9 through May 13. Anyone who has not received a mail-in ballot by May 13 is encouraged to call the San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters to ensure they have been sent a ballot. County voter information guides will begin to be mailed out April 28. Voters may cast their vote once they receive their ballot.
San Joaquin County will have 19 certified drop box locations for voters to drop off their mail-in ballots. Voters can also simply stick their ballot in the mail, with two main caveats: the ballot must be postmarked by June 7 at the latest and must be received by the county Registrar of Voters within three days of the election.
The United States Postal Service claims to have delivered 92.9% of mail-in ballots in the 2020 presidential election from voters to election officials nationwide within three days. Under that metric, it would be safer to vote by mail prior to Election Day.
The big day
For those who do not wish to vote by mail, there are a few options on Election Day. The polls open at 7 a.m. June 7 where voters are more than welcome to vote the old-fashioned way in-person. Voters can also drop-off their mail-in ballots at a polling location.
Voters can also cast their ballots at the county Registrar of Voters’ office at any time of their convenience after mail-in ballots are sent out, including on election day.
Voters can find their polling location and track through the California Secretary of State’s website at voterstatus.sos.ca.gov.
Record reporter Ben Irwin covers Stockton and San Joaquin County government. He can be reached at birwin@recordnet.com or on Twitter @B1rwin. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: June 7 Primary Election: San Joaquin County mail-in ballots, registration
