Once every four years, the state of California conducts a party Primary Election. The purpose of this election is for the voters registered within a party to help select a presidential nominee to represent that party in the November General Election.
Sacramento County Voter Registration and Elections just mailed out a Voter Registration Status Postcard to every registered voter. The postcard is specific to the voter and lists name, address and registered political party. It is very important that voters review the information to ensure it is correct before ballots are mailed out the first week of February.
Political parties can choose to limit participation in their party’s primary to only registered voters of that party. In other words, if you’re a registered Democrat, you wouldn’t be allowed to participate in the Republican primary. The same is true for any party that holds a presidential primary.
If a voter is registered with a political party, they will receive a ballot that contains presidential nominees for that party only.
If a voter is not registered with a political party, also known as “No Party Preference,” they will receive a ballot that does not contain any presidential nominees.
However, they have the option to crossover and choose to request a ballot that contains nominees for the American Independent Party, Democratic Party, or Libertarian Party, for this election only without changing their voter registration. To crossover, voters can do one of four things:
If they would like to vote for presidential nominees in the Green Party, Peace and Freedom Party, or the Republican Party, then they must be a registered voter with that party. To re-register visit the
California Online Voter Registration website.
Have questions about the upcoming election? Visit our
website or download our phone app Sac Vote, available for
iPhone or
Andriod.