Voter turnout in the June primary was better than it has been in the past, but not as strong as it should be.

Erik Chalhoub here. In this newsletter nearly two months ago, Editor Sara Rubin described a dream: “Here’s hoping voter turnout for this primary election doesn’t suck.”

Primary elections are notorious for low voter turnout. Rubin pointed to the last primary in Monterey County in 2022, when only 31 percent of the 208,274 eligible voters either turned in their ballots through the mail or filled them out at a polling place. Ouch.

I’m here to report that Rubin’s wish came true for the June 2026 primary, and the turnout didn’t suck…as much.

The Monterey County Elections Department certified the results on June 26, showing that 38.5 percent of the 218,662 eligible voters cast their ballots. Technically it is an improvement, even if it is still well less than half of eligible voters (by comparison, neighboring Santa Cruz County had a 50 percent turnout and San Benito County was 42 percent). But from a glass-half-full perspective, it is the second highest primary turnout in Monterey County in 20 years, only surpassed (barely) by the 2010 turnout of 38.75 percent.

The results haven’t changed since the first round of the vote count on election night. All measures on the ballot failed, which was especially excruciating for the cities of Soledad and Gonzales, whose tax measures to fund their fire departments failed by 50 and 53 votes, respectively.

The primary is in the past; now it’s time to focus on the Nov. 3 general election, where turnout has historically been much better.

The filing period for local offices begins July 13 and runs through Aug. 7, while jurisdictions have until Aug. 7 to add a measure to the ballot, and it’s shaping up to be a busy one. That includes North Monterey County Unified School District asking voters to approve a $40 million bond to upgrade facilities, the cities of Salinas and Monterey seeking renewal of a one-percent sales tax and the County of Monterey proposing an increase in the tax charged to hotel visitors. 

In addition, Salinas voters will decide on a slate of four rent-related ordinances, while the City of Marina is close to approving language for a utility users tax.

Interested in running for one of the many seats up for election in November? The elections department is hosting a candidate seminar on Wednesday, July 8 from 5:30-7:30pm in Salinas to provide an overview on filing dates and other requirements.

November will be here before you know it. Keep up with the latest information on the elections department’s website. And if you were one of the 134,456 who didn’t vote in June, make a plan to do so in November.