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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Major changes to the way people vote have election advocates on edge as Californians cast ballots in a high-profile primary that was moved up from June so the country's most populous state could have a bigger say in picking the Democratic presidential nominee. 

More than 2.7 million of 20.6 million registered voters had returned ballots in early voting as of Thursday, Secretary of State Alex Padilla said. California is among several states holding elections on "Super Tuesday," and the state's 416 delegates are a rich prize for the Democrats slugging it out for the nomination.

"We're going into this election with record registration and a whole lot of energy," Padilla said in a phone briefing with reporters Thursday. 

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When Los Angeles County set out to build a new voting system from scratch more than a decade ago, election officials knew the challenges in serving an electorate larger than those found in any of 39 states.

But what they didn’t know was that their efforts were on a collision course with a series of statewide election changes and the most consequential presidential primary in modern California history. Should Angelenos not understand what to do or where to go, the effects could be felt both statewide and — in terms of the Democratic presidential race — across the country. 

“There’s a lot riding on this,” said Rick Hasen, an election law professor at UC Irvine. “Any time you’re making so many changes at once, people can lose confidence in the system.”

How are young people looking at the 2020 primaries and the general election? What motivates young voters to cast a vote?

These are the questions organizations all over the country are asking in doing outreach, specifically to young voters. Their focus is also on pre-registering young people to vote, as long as they will be 18 by Nov. 3. What strategies and tactics are these organizations using? Are they different in California?

Guests

• California Voter Foundation Founder & President Kim Alexander
• Associated Students Inc. at Sacramento State Civic Engagement Coordinator Savannah Mendoza
• Associated Students Inc. at Sacramento State Board of Directors Director of Social Services & Interdisciplinary Studies Samantha Elizalde

Full Audio

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 The botched voting process in the Iowa caucuses has California officials reassuring voters ahead of the upcoming March 3rd primary.

Iowa Democrats say they have finally reported all the results from Mondays caucus, but some inconsistencies remain.

“Look, I’ve been hearing about it nonstop since Monday Night,” said California Secretary of State Alex Padilla. “What happened in Iowa? How do we know that’s not going to happen here in California?”

That Padilla feels the need to reassure voters here just reflects the scale of the fiasco in Iowa. Of course, this was not Iowa’s fault. The mess lands squarely in the lap of the Iowa Democratic Party.

“Well, as the state party chair, I have some level of empathy for my colleagues in Iowa,” says Rusty Hicks, Chairman of the California Democratic Party. He says he’s not worried about March 3rd.

“So our process is run by the Secretary of State,” said Hicks of the primary. “I have the utmost confidence that we will have a fair, accurate and complete count.”