With so many options, when is the right time to vote?

By Kim Alexander, especially for CalMatters

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There has been a lot of talk about the crowded field of candidates seeking to become California’s next governor.

It’s especially crowded because it’s an open-seat race, with no incumbents. Also, California runs statewide elections under “open primary” rules, where all candidates from all parties appear on the primary ballot, so voters can vote for any candidate they wish, regardless of the voter’s party preference.

In common elections two top votes stand and may be from the same party. This has happened in the past. But what has never happened before is two Republicans running against each other across the state.

Democratic Party Strategists worry about it. While party leaders have pressured candidates with low electoral results to opt out — which they technically can’t do because their names are on the ballot — are different urges voters to “vote late” and wait to see if any candidates drop their campaigns.

Regardless of how anyone feels about this situation, let’s stop saying “vote late” and instead say “vote close to Election Day.” That’s exactly what I plan to do.

This is a very fluid election, and I believe voting is valuable, as are many other people in our state.

There are few things worse than not voting. One is a postal vote and it goes uncounted because it arrives too late. Another is to vote too early only to drop out of the race.

I feel for the voters in California who are facing this predicament. But we also face problems with the lateness of our elections: late ballots can be rejected, and late election results, set days or weeks after Election Day, can undermine voter confidence.

Gov. Gavin Newsom recently urged counties to “count faster,” but that’s not where the problem lies. We are the problem, we the voters.

We deliver ballots in envelopes on Election Day, which take time and attention to process and cannot be processed before Election Day. Processing these ballots—which account for up to a quarter of all ballots submitted—creates a bottleneck I like to call the “pig in the python” effect. This prevents counties from doing other tasks they need to do to certify results.

When is it smart to vote?

Make a plan. Decide now when you want to vote. Here are some options, listed in order of my preference:

If you want to help speed up the vote count and see your results in the total on election night, then return your completed vote-by-mail ballot in person to an official county ballot box, polling office or polling site on or before May 30^ththe Saturday before Election Day.

If you want to make the most of your time, plan to vote in person on Election Day, June 2.

If you want to mail your ballot, then plan to do so at least a full week before Election Day; this is tuesday may 26th.

Saturday May 30 is the sweet spot for me because it allows more time and for the first time all county polling offices will be open for at least six hours that day. But that means I have until Friday, May 29 to decide who I’m voting for.

In the meantime, I suggest you continue to talk to friends, attend events, watch debates, and participate in discussions on social media.

What we’re seeing is a remarkable degree of interest, which is rare for a state’s non-presidential primary. Historically, this type of election has the lowest voter turnout.

So take your time, but don’t wait too long. And if you’re voting a little early but still want something to do on Election Day, bring balloons or flowers to a nearby polling place. Wear your “I Voted” sticker. Help someone else vote.

When the results come in on election night, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing your vote has been counted.

This article was originally published on CalMatters and is republished under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives license.