California Prepares to Vote: Registration Deadline is Monday for June 3 Primary

She advises: “Now is also a good time for voters to check with their county elections officials to make sure their voter registration information – including their political party affiliation – is correct. In the February presidential primary, there were scattered reports of people showing up at the polls and learning that they weren’t registered as they thought they were.”

She also advises that the last day to request a vote-by-mail ballot for the June primary is May 27. I would add that it is best not to wait until this deadline to request a vote by mail ballot if this is how you would like to vote as during the crunch time it takes to process these requests you might not get your ballot with much time to spare to cast it. If for any reason you do not get a ballot---or if you have any questions, you may show up at your polling place and cast a “provisional ballot,” and it will later be determined if you are entitled to vote—if so your vote will count.

With just over two weeks until the June 3 primary, Secretary Bowen also issued an important “Do and Don’t” reminder for voters and people affiliated with political campaigns:

June 3, 2008, Primary Election Day “Do and Don’t” List

DO: Double-check your registration information, including your political party affiliation, by Monday, May 19, which is the last day to register to vote or change your registration before the June 3 primary.

DO: Know your crossover voting rights. If you are registered as a “decline-to-state” or nonpartisan voter, the American Independent, Democratic, and Republican parties are all allowing you to participate in their June 3 primaries. You have a right to request a ballot for any one of those three parties. If you do not, you will be given a nonpartisan ballot that contains ballot propositions and nonpartisan local races, but excludes partisan contests for Congress, state Senate, and state Assembly.

DO: Read up on the issues and candidates before voting. Information about statewide contests and ballot initiatives is available in the Official Voter Information Guide produced by the Secretary of State’s office and mailed to all registered voters. It’s also available online at http://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/, along with foreign language and audio versions of the guide. Sample ballot pamphlets sent out by individual counties offer more information about local candidates and measures.

DON’T: Offer incentives to voters for agreeing to vote or refrain from voting a certain way. This is illegal under state and federal law.

DO: Return your vote-by-mail ballot by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day to any polling place in the county where you are registered to vote or to your county registrar of voters. Vote-by-mail ballots received after 8:00 p.m. on Election Day will not be counted, so it’s best to mail them several days beforehand.

DON’T: Discourage or hinder anyone’s right to vote. Voter intimidation is illegal.

DO: Know your polling place. If you don’t know where your polling place is, look-up information is available at http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_ppl.htm. If you vote at a polling place in your county other than your designated location, you can request a provisional ballot, which will be counted later after an elections official verifies that you are eligible to vote and have not already voted in that election. Ballots may differ even within counties or cities, so it’s best to vote at your designated polling place to ensure you can vote on every contest and measure you’re entitled to vote on. A poll worker can give you information on how to track your provisional ballot.

DON’T: Campaign for votes or solicit petition signatures within 100 feet of a polling place. Electioneering in the immediate area around polling places is illegal.