Erik Chalhoub here, diving into the certified March primary election reports for Monterey County and the state.
As expected in the weeks leading up to the election, the numbers are low, perhaps beyond disappointing.
In Monterey County, 32.8 percent of the 210,293 registered voters cast their ballots for the March 5 election, according to the “Statement of Votes Cast” compiled by the Office of the County of Monterey Registrar of Voters.
That is only slightly above the June 2022 midterms, when only 31.1 percent of the county’s voters turned out. But in the last presidential primary, March 2020, the turnout stood at 46.9 percent.
Somehow, Monterey County is even below the statewide turnout, despite efforts from local elections staff and volunteers to boost the numbers. According to the California Secretary of State, the results, certified April 12, show about 35 percent of the roughly 22 million registered voters cast a ballot. Turnout statewide was nearly 47 percent in the 2020 primary election, and slightly under 48 percent in 2016.
This doesn’t bode well for the November election, writes Mark Baldassare for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Turnout is all but guaranteed to underperform compared to the record 17.8 million ballots cast in November 2020.
The state’s efforts to increase voter participation—such as mailing every registered voter a ballot and moving the primary date from June to March—have so far had little or no effect, Baldassare notes.
There is no lack of drama when it comes to the presidential race, with half of it playing out in court. But what failed to move voters, analysts say, is the idea that the top-two presidential candidates were already decided well before the primary election.
The top-two senate primary contest also had some unintended consequences, when Democrat Adam Schiff boosted the profile of his Republican challenger, Steve Garvey, in order to avoid facing off against other Democrats in the fall who had a legitimate chance of coming out on top.
“The political gamesmanship of a Democrat working to run against a Republican in the fall may increase cynicism at a time when some voters are feeling distrustful of democracy and elections,” Baldassare writes.
So, what can be done? Well, we can make sure we vote in November.
“Monterey County Elections has increased voter outreach and education activities including during the early voting period and throughout the ‘non-election’ period in far more areas of the county than at any time in the past,” Registrar of Voters Gina Martinez says. “We plan to continue to do so through the summer and into the fall leading up to the November election.”
For the November election, the office will hold more opportunities to bring services to prospective candidates. Those interested in running for the various governmental bodies can ask questions with elections staff and file in-person.
“This will be especially helpful to the smaller, more rural districts that are looking for community members to serve on their boards,” Martinez says.
Last summer, the elections office was also able to recruit more than 300 additional volunteers thanks to its increased presence at events throughout the county, Martinez adds.
“Our outreach efforts will continue to focus on the difference one can make as a poll worker and expand to highlight other volunteer opportunities, including outreach, observation and language/voting accessibility advisory committees,” she says.
The last day to register to vote in the Nov. 5 election is Oct. 21. Ballots will start to be mailed to voters on Oct. 7. You can check your voter registration status here.
The certified vote in Monterey County means that the only race that was still undecided in March—Measure N—can now be confirmed. The $116 million bond measure for Watsonville Community Hospital eked by at 68.3 percent of the vote, above the needed two-thirds.