California Voter Registration Deadline for June 2 Primary Is Monday

Monday, May 18, is the last day Pasadena and Altadena residents can register through California’s standard online or postmark process to be automatically mailed a ballot for the June 2 statewide direct primary, according to the California Secretary of State’s office and the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.

Eligible residents who miss the deadline can still take part by using Same Day, or conditional, voter registration at any Los Angeles County vote center or the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s office through Election Day, the Secretary of State’s office said.

Voters who use that option must do so in person and cast a provisional ballot. The local stakes for Pasadena voters include a Primary Nominating Election for City Council in Districts 3, 5 and 7, along with the race for California governor and a countywide half-cent sales tax measure.

All active registered voters in California will receive a ballot for the June 2 primary, the Secretary of State’s office said. County elections officials began mailing ballots on May 4, and secure ballot drop-off locations opened May 5.

Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean C. Logan announced on April 30 that the County had begun mailing Vote by Mail ballots to all registered voters for the election. Earlier, on March 12, Logan announced that the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk was mailing voter outreach postcards to approximately 4.8 million registered voters across the County, translated into 18 languages.

The standard registration deadline is set by state law at 15 days before Election Day. After that date, the Secretary of State’s office said in its frequently asked questions, “any individual may conditionally register to vote and cast a provisional ballot by visiting their county elections official.”

Voters can register online at RegisterToVote.ca.gov before midnight Monday or submit a paper application postmarked by May 18. The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s office said eligible voters who have not registered and want to vote by mail must register by May 18 to be mailed a ballot. After the deadline, conditional registration is available at any Los Angeles County vote center or the Registrar’s office in Norwalk.

“Make a plan. Vote. Vote early,” state Attorney General Rob Bonta told voters in remarks reported by NBC Los Angeles on May 5.

Pasadena’s June 2 ballot includes contests for City Council in District 3, currently held by Councilmember Justin Jones; District 5, held by Vice Mayor Jess Rivas; and District 7, held by Councilmember Jason Lyon, according to the City of Pasadena. A candidate who wins more than 50% of the vote in the June primary takes the seat outright; otherwise, the top two finishers advance to a November runoff.

Countywide, every voter will see the half-cent sales tax measure on the ballot.

Voters have three ways to return a completed mail ballot, according to the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s office. They can use any of more than 400 official ballot drop box locations across Los Angeles County, return the ballot by mail at no cost — no postage is required — or drop it off at any vote center. The first vote centers open for early in-person voting in all Voter’s Choice Act counties on May 23, and additional in-person early voting locations open throughout California on Saturday, May 30, according to the Secretary of State.

Polls on Election Day are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked no later than June 2, and mail ballots must be received by county election offices by June 9 to be counted, according to the Secretary of State.

Voters can track their ballot through California’s “Where’s My Ballot?” service, a free subscription that sends automatic notifications by text, email or voicemail on ballot status, according to the Secretary of State and the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.

Statewide, the Secretary of State’s office has reported 3,546 polling locations, 2,758 ballot drop-box locations, 1,988 early voting locations and 19,788 precincts for the primary, according to a release from Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber.

Voters can verify their registration status using the My Voter Status tool at voterstatus.sos.ca.gov, or call the Secretary of State’s Voter Hotline at (800) 345-VOTE (8683). The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s office can be reached at (800) 815-2666 for election materials in English and 18 additional languages, and at (213) 358-2770 for Spanish-language assistance. The Pasadena City Clerk’s Office, located at 100 North Garfield Avenue, Room S228, can be reached at (626) 744-4124 and publishes local notices of nominees and ballot measures for the city’s primary nominating election.

“After the registration deadline, in most elections any individual may conditionally register to vote and cast a provisional ballot by visiting their county elections official,” the Secretary of State’s office said.