With the election on Tuesday, June 7, we look at the voters of California.
2022 California Voter Registration
California skews Democratic due to the large population of urban centers. Less populated areas tend to be more Republican.
The top 10 counties with the most registered voters account for more than 72% of the voter population.
Largest county increase in registrations since April 6, 2018Los Angeles 549,816Orange 346,349Riverside 334,394San Diego 264,664San Bernardino 249,791
Largest increase in registration percentage since April 6, 2018 37.06% (33,544) Riverside 34.67% (334,394) Madeira 32.86% (17,717) San Benito 31.35% (8,900) Tulare 28.52% (45,685)
California had a closed primary system until 1996. California passed Proposition 198 in 1996 that would allow the state to vote in an open primary, but the Supreme Court reversed this in 2000. Voters approved Proposition 14 in 2010, which is now the current top-two open primary system.
closed primary: Only voters registered with a particular party can vote in that party’s primary election. So if you are registered as a Democrat, you can only vote for Democratic candidates. If you are a registered Republican, you can only vote for Republican candidates. If you are registered with a minor party, you can only vote in that party’s primary – if they have a party. The top vote-getter for each party advances to the general election. Unaffiliated/independent voters cannot vote in closed primary elections.
Open partisan primary with non-partisan registration:Unaffiliated/independent voters can choose a major party ballot line in the primary; Either Republican or Democrat. Voters who are already affiliated with a political party – Republican, Democrat or Minor Party – can only vote in that party’s primaries.
Open partisan primary with non-partisan registration:Voters are not required to be formally affiliated with a party. Each voter can choose a candidate – Republican or Democrat – to vote in the primary.Top two open primary:The top two open primaries are used for statewide elections in Washington and California and the legislature of Nebraska. There is no Republican or Democratic primary in this type of election. There is a primary, in which all candidates and all parties (or none at all) are listed. Every voter can participate and vote for every candidate regardless of party. The top two vote getters advance to the general election. In Alaska, the top four move on.
Sources: Openprimaries.org, Ballotpedia.org, California Secretary of State
