California Election Day Brings Strong Turnout and Long Lines

California polling places stayed open until 8 p.m. on November 3, with voters able to cast ballots in person, return completed mail ballots or use official drop boxes. Anyone in line by closing time was allowed to vote, and Los Angeles County had 646 vote centers open across the county.

By 2 p.m., Los Angeles County had received and recorded more than 1.9 million ballots, about 32% of registered voters. That total included 1.5 million returned mail ballots and more than 387,000 ballots cast in person. The county’s 2022 gubernatorial election turnout was 28%. Registrar Dean Logan said the pace pointed to higher participation than four years earlier.

Statewide, more than 5.5 million Californians had voted before Election Day, while another count put the early total at 6.5 million, or about 27% of the electorate. Alameda County turnout was 27%, and Santa Clara County had passed 28%. San Francisco’s elections department projected overall turnout of 60% to 65% and had received ballots from 27% of eligible voters by Monday night.

The statewide governor’s race pits Republican Steve Hilton against Democrat Xavier Becerra. San Francisco voters also faced local measures on the Great Highway, housing contributions, Muni funding and a proposed public bank, as well as the contest between Connie Chan and Scott Wiener to replace Nancy Pelosi.

Los Angeles County voters could check vote-center wait times online and visit any convenient center. The first county results were expected around 8:30 p.m.; San Francisco planned its first tally for 8:45 p.m. San Francisco expected to release more results over several days, with complete counts potentially taking until Sunday.