Voting in California is so easy

Although California's election day is June 2, voting has been underway for a few weeks already.

As a California resident, I voted yesterday by dropping off my sealed ballot at a secured metal drop box in front of the school district offices. No lines. No hurry. No worries.

If you want to vote this way, visit caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov to find your nearest drop box.

If you choose to mail your ballots, it is a bit more complicated. The Secretary of State website recommends that you mail your ballot five days before election day. That deadline was yesterday, May 28. Mailed ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received not later than 7 days after Election Day. However you decide to go ahead and mail over the weekend, you're taking your chances with the Post Office. If mailing on Election Day, the website recommends getting a manual postmark from a postal employee inside a United States Post Office.

There's a good number of us who still prefer to go to a polling place, chat with your neighbors volunteering to work at the polls and go through the process and personally slip your ballot into the drop box. To find your polling place, click on caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov. 

Even if you missed the registration deadline earlier this month, you can still register to vote on June 2. You can still go to your county elections office, vote center, or polling place on or before Election Day to complete conditional voter registration (often referred to as "Same Day Voter Registration"). Contact your county elections office for more information or visit vote.ca.gov.

View from the edge

Despite the ease in voting in the state, the overall turnout rate of eligible voters in California in the 2024 presidential general election was 62.1%. The national average for the same year was 64.1%.

The Golden State is home to a third of the nation's total AANHPI population and make up 17.34% of the voters, according to APPI Data. But voter registration of AANHPI is historically low. People who have studied the lackluster turnout at the polls, say various studies is the lack of specific outreach, not only from the candidates but from the Democrats and Republicans.

One of the biggest problems facing AANHPI is the feeling that they are being overlooked by the major parties, which translates into indifference. They want to feel like they matter. Few politicians recognize this abstract but overlooked need. If you don't speak directly to the diverse groups under the AANHPI umbrella, that is interpreted as "If you don't think my vote matters and don't address my concerns, why should I vote for you."

“Latinos, Asian Americans, and young people represent California’s future and they will dictate the future of electoral participation as well,” said Eric McGhee, a PPIC research fellow who authored a report, California’s Missing Voters: Who Is Not Voting and Why. “California has been a creative and energetic force for voter participation, and it must redouble its efforts to ensure future civic engagement.”

Democracy is not for bystanders.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. If you find this perspective interesting, please repost.