AP20:108
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 30, 2020
CONTACT:
SOS Press Office
(916) 653-6575
Record 22 Million Californians Registered to Vote Heading into General Election
SACRAMENTO, CA – Secretary of State Alex Padilla released the final statewide Report of Registration ahead of the November 3, 2020, General Election. As of October 19, 2020, a record 22,047,448 Californians were registered to vote. This represents an increase of 2,635,677 registered voters since the last Report of Registration at a similar point in a presidential election cycle (October 24, 2016).
87.87% of eligible Californians are registered to vote. This is the highest percentage of eligible citizens registered to vote heading into a General Election in the past 80 years.
Click here to view the complete statewide Report of Registration.
“For the first time, California now has more than 22 million registered voters,” said Secretary of State Alex Padilla. “There are more voters registered in California than the number of people in the state of Florida! Record registration and a historic election points towards a big voter turnout, which could also mean longer lines and wait times on Election Day. If you haven’t voted yet, I highly recommend that you consider voting early.”
“If you missed the voter registration deadline, you still have to opportunity to vote using ‘Same Day’ Registration. 2020 marks the first year that voters can complete the ‘Same Day’ voter registration process and cast their ballot at any in-person voting location in the county or the county elections office,” Padilla added.
Trends in Statewide Voter Registration 1996 – 2020
|
|
1996 |
2000 |
2004 |
2008 |
2012 |
2016 |
2020 |
|
Democratic |
47.2% |
45.4% |
43.0% |
44.4% |
43.7% |
44.9% |
46.1% |
|
Republican |
36.4% |
34.9% |
34.7% |
31.4% |
29.4% |
26.0% |
24.2% |
|
No Party Preference |
11.3% |
14.4% |
17.7% |
19.9% |
20.9% |
24.3% |
24.0% |
|
Total Number of Registered Voters |
15,662,075 |
15,707,307 |
16,557,273 |
17,304,091 |
18,245,970 |
19,411,771 |
22,047,448 |
Same Day Voter Registration
Eligible citizens who missed the “traditional” voter registration deadline of October 19 and still wish to vote will need to complete the ‘Same Day’ voter registration process at their local county elections office, polling place, or vote center. Voters will be asked to fill out a voter registration form and then be provided a ballot. Their ballots will be counted once the county elections office has completed the voter registration verification process. Voters can complete the ‘Same Day’ voter registration process all the way through Election Day on November 3.
Registration Comparison October 19, 2020 Report vs. October 24, 2016 Report
|
Political Party |
# Registered (2020) |
% of Total (2020) |
# Registered (2016) |
% of Total (2016) |
Change in % Points (2016 to 2020) |
|
Democratic |
10,170,317 |
46.13% |
8,720,417 |
44.92% |
+1.21 |
|
Republican |
5,334,323 |
24.19% |
5,048,398 |
26.01% |
-1.82 |
|
No Party Preference |
5,283,853 |
23.97% |
4,711,347 |
24.27% |
-0.30 |
|
American Independent |
646,830 |
2.93% |
507,377 |
2.61% |
+0.32 |
|
Green |
84,807 |
0.38% |
94,647 |
0.49% |
-0.11 |
|
Libertarian |
196,108 |
0.89% |
139,805 |
0.72% |
+0.17 |
|
Peace and Freedom |
103,476 |
0.47% |
75,640 |
0.39% |
+0.08 |
|
Unknown/Other |
227,734 |
1.04% |
114,140 |
0.59% |
+0.45 |
The Report of Registration includes:
- Voter registration by political party, by county, city, congressional district, state senate district, state assembly district, supervisorial district, and board of equalization.
- Statewide voter registration by age group by county.
- Historical comparisons to previous reports in presidential election years.
- Reports on political bodies attempting to qualify as political parties (by county).
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