- California made it easier for many of the state’s 20.5 million registered voters to cast their ballot on Super Tuesday – the state’s first year participating in this pivotal day in the primaries.
- California has 415 delegates up for grabs – the largest delegate haul out of the 14 participating states. Texas comes in second with 228 delegates.
- From using electronic voting machines, to allowing registered voters to cast their ballot anywhere in their county, here are the ways California is making voting easier.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
With the largest number delegates in the country, California employed a number of ways to make voting easier on Super Tuesday for the state’s 20.5 million registered voters.
Joining 14 states on Super Tuesday for the first time, the Golden State has 415 delegates up for grabs, nearly double that of the second highest delegate haul in Texas, which has 228.
The state could have a significant amount of sway for the pivotal primary season, as California accounts for more than 20% of delegates a presidential candidate needs to secure the Democratic nomination on the first ballot.
From using electronic voting machines, to allowing registered voters to cast their ballot anywhere in their county, here are the ways California is making voting easier:
In some counties, registered voters who couldn't cast their ballot on March 3 could submit their candidate choice as early as February 22.
The passage of the California Voter's Choice Act in 2016, allowed counties to expand access to voting. So far 15 counties are participating, and each came up with a tailored plan for their area.
For counties like Los Angeles and Orange, citizens could vote early at specified locations.
Source: California Secretary of State
The Los Angeles Metro offered free rides until midnight on March 3.
It's no secret that heavy vehicle traffic continues to clog up California highways, so in Los Angeles public transportation was free on Super Tuesday to encourage voters to go to the polls without the added cost and hassle.
Polling stations offered same-day voter registration for those who didn't do so beforehand.
Source: Reuters
For counties opting in, California debuted digital voting machines for voters to make their candidate selections.
The machines do not electronically count the ballots, however. Voters will select their candidate on the machine, which will then print out paper ballots with their choices. The paper ballots are collected by election workers and counted manually.
Source: Reuters
Voters can cast ballots anywhere in their county.
For participating counties, voters can go to any polling station within their county rather than a single center, per the California Voter's Choice Act that was enacted in 2016.
Another aspect of the Voter's Choice Act impacted mail-in ballots. For participating counties, election officials sent ballots to all registered voters to encourage voters to cast their ballot by mail.
While the option to vote by mail is not new, some counties made it even easier for registered voters to cast their ballot by sending them out to their homes even if they weren't requested ahead of time.
Source: Reuters
The ease in voting didn't come without its drawbacks.
In spite of the ease of voting, casting your ballot on Super Tuesday wasn't absolutely flawless. A power outage hit parts of Los Angeles, cutting out the electricity in some polling stations.
Even when the electronic voting machines were working, some voters came across issues with them while casting their votes.
Source: Business Insider
