What to Know About Voting in the Presidential Primary March 3, 2020

This year is an especially important electoral year, where the stakes are high, and voting in the March 3, 2020 primary election will be defining for the future of the environment - locally, state-wide, and nationally.

Make your vote count, from local elections up to national offices! There are many local, state, legislative and congressional offices up for election, and all will be on the March 3, 2020 primary ballot. Don't miss this chance to have your say on who gets to make important environmental decisions in our communities.

NOTE: The last day to register to vote in California is February 18, 2020

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT VOTING

There are big changes as to HOW and WHERE we cast our ballots. You'll want to make sure that you are correctly registered, and know where to go to vote.

1 - Check your voter registration status:  

L.A. County residents:  go to https://lavote.net/home/voting-elections/voter-registration/register-to-vote/register.  Click on the box: √ if you’re registered.  

Orange County residents:  go to https://www.ocvote.com/registration/verify-your-voter-registration/.  This will take you directly to the page to verify your registration.

2- Know the Party primary rules:

The March 3, 2020 election is a Presidential Primary.  In a Presidential Primary election, the political parties determine whether registered No Party Preference (NPP) voters may request their Party’s presidential primary ballot.  This is known as “crossover” voting. In the March 3, 2020 Presidential Primary election, the following parties allow NPP voters to crossover and request their party’s ballot:

• American Independent (a political party, not the same as NPP), Democratic, Libertarian.  NPP voters wishing to cast a vote for a Presidential candidate running in one of these parties should request a crossover ballot from their respective County Registrar of Voters.  Casting a crossover ballot does not change your registration as NPP.
• In the March 3, 2020 Presidential Primary election, the following parties will not allow NPP voters to crossover and request their party’s ballot:  Green, Peace and Freedom, Republican. Voters who would want to request one of these latter 3 party's primary ballot will need to re-register in that party by February 18 to vote in the Presidential Primary Election on March 3.

3- Determine how, where and when you will vote:

Photo: Sharon Koch   

Remember when you would go to your neighborhood polling place on Election Day to cast your ballot, or maybe you dropped it in the mail to be postmarked by Election Day?

• The Primary Election is on March 3, 2020, but you can now cast your ballot at any VOTE CENTER in your county beginning February 22, 2020 and continuing through 8 p.m. on March 3, 2020. 
• There will be VOTE CENTERS at numerous locations throughout your county.  You can vote in person at any County center or drop off your vote-by-mail ballot. 
• To locate a VOTE CENTER convenient to you go to your County Registrar site: L.A. County: https://lavote.net/home/voting-elections/voting-options/new-voting-experience. Orange County: https://www.ocvote.com/fileadmin/vc/. Scroll to bottom of the page for interactive map.

4- More on vote by mail:

• If you prefer to vote by mail, you now have the option of mailing your ballot postmarked by March 3, 2020, dropping it off at a VOTE CENTER, or dropping it in a specially marked ballot drop-off box located throughout the county. 
• Vote by mail ballots will be mailed beginning February 3, 2020 to registered voters who have requested them. All registered voters in Orange County will receive ballots in the mail beginning with the March 3, 2020 primary election.