Stanislaus County sees slight uptick in early voting for June 2 primary
Stanislaus County has seen a slight uptick in early vote-by-mail submissions for the June 2 primary election. It could bode well for turnout overall.
Donna Linder, Stanislaus County registrar of voters, said her staff has begun processing ballots received by mail – checking signatures, opening, flattening and scanning – but the results won’t appear until after 8 p.m. Tuesday.
An overwhelming majority of voters in Stanislaus County primarily vote by mail. In the last primary election, about 96% did so.
Because ballots do not get postmarked within the county, it’s important for voters to recognize they don’t get postmarked until they reach Sacramento. To ensure they are postmarked by the June 2, 8 p.m. deadline they should be mailed early or dropped off at the polls or designated drop box.
It’s too soon to tell if the increase in voting by mail will mean overall turnout in the election. But Linder said if the trend continues to Election Day, it could mean higher voter participation compared to the last primary.
Stanislaus County generally has a history of low voter turnout compared to other California counties. In the last primary election in 2022, only 22.5% of eligible voters in the county cast ballots.
Stanislaus County is almost evenly split between Republican and Democratic voters. Parts of the county are in a congressional district that was closely watched in the last general election.
Primary elections have lower vote turnout than general elections, but this primary election has gained attention due to the competitive nature of the governor’s race. There are other hotly contested races that may also draw voters to the polls.
So far, the foot traffic for in-person voting at early voting centers has been typical for a primary election, with centers at the Stanislaus Veterans Center, 3500 Coffee Road, and in Oakdale being busiest.
Safia Hayes has worked at polling stations in Stanislaus County since 2018, but this is her first time acting as lead at the Veterans Center which began accepting in-person voting on May 23.
“It’s been pretty good today, it’s steady and the voters are happy so we’re doing pretty good for now,” Hayes said. “This is the calm before the storm.”
The center receives more drop-offs than in-person voters before Election Day, usually around 30-40 drop-offs. Hayes referred to a group of four in-person voters as a “rush.”
“Typically, Election Day is our busiest day,” Linder said.
The Veterans Center usually has a line out the door, according to Sam Rasho, who has been a poll worker there for the last three elections. Hayes said early voters who want the in-person experience should opt for early voting to avoid the line at more active vote centers.
“Early voting is slower than anything,” she said. “So if you want to get in and get out I recommend early voting.”
There are six early-vote centers open already in Stanislaus County with another 25 to open Saturday May 30. There are also 33 drop-off locations that have already been accepting ballots since May 4.
On Election Day, polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.
