Nonpartisan guide helps California voters prepare for March 5th Primary
online at www.calvoter.org

Today the California Voter Foundation (CVF) launched a new edition of its nonpartisan California Online Voter Guide to help voters access reliable and trustworthy information about the March 5, 2024 Presidential Primary Election, at www.calvoter.org.

“This is the first California Presidential Primary Election where every registered California voter will be issued a ballot through the mail,” said CVF’s president and founder, Kim Alexander.

She urged voters to open their ballot packets early, review their Presidential candidate choices and contact their county election office immediately if they wish to vote a different ballot. That’s because in presidential primary contests, unlike congressional and legislative primary contests, voters registered with a political party may only vote for a candidate of the same party.

All counties are required under state law to begin mailing voters’ ballots out no later than February 5th.

“No party preference” voters unaffiliated with a party may cast a ballot for a Democratic, Libertarian or American Independent Party presidential candidate because those parties have opted to allow non-partisan, “cross over” voting. However, they need to request their preferred ballot be sent to them or obtain one by voting in person. Voters can also re-register with a different party before and even on Election Day if they want to make a different choice.

CVF’s new online guide provides contact information and voter tools for all 58 counties, links to helpful resources from the Secretary of State and other trusted sources to help voters make informed choices, vote-by-mail voting tips, a Voting FAQ and links to tools to help voters find their districts, track the status of their ballot, verify their registration status, and register or update their registration online.

Voters can cast their ballot by mail, at an official drop box, or return it to a voting site or their county election office. All California voters also have the option to vote in person. Half of California’s counties - serving nearly 80 percent of the state's voters - have adopted the Voter’s Choice Act, an alternative voting model that replaces neighborhood polling places open for a single day with vote centers that, while fewer in number, are available to all voters countywide over multiple days including Election Day. CVF’s new guide features a map identifying which in-person voting options are available to voters by county.

"Given the rise of mis- and disinformation and the challenges posed by the use of artificial intelligence, well-established and trustworthy sites like calvoter.org are more important than ever," Alexander said.

In addition to the presidential primary contest, voters will once again find two U.S. Senate contests on the ballot featuring many of the same candidates, as was the case in 2022. This ballot quirk is due to a new law requiring an election to fill a vacant term which happens to coincide with the seat’s regularly-scheduled election. U.S. House, state legislative and local contests will also appear on California ballots along with one statewide bond measure and local measures in many jurisdictions.

CVF created the first California Online Voter Guide 30 years ago, in 1994, to utilize the internet as a tool for nonpartisan voter education and enable Californians to make informed, confident choices. The March 2024 Primary guide is the 33rd edition produced by CVF, a nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization working to improve the voting process to better serve voters.