Voting is an essential part of democracy, and Orange County is no exception. In special elections, voter turnout ranges from 10-20%, while primary and general elections see a turnout of 50-75%. The Office of the County Recorder-Recorder initially planned to update the count on Tuesdays and Fridays after the elections, but has since added additional dates and will now have daily updates until this Saturday. The reason for the delay in updates is due to the increase in voting by mail.
In the last election, the vast majority of voters in Southern California cast their ballots by mail, with 84.7% of Los Angeles County and 88.6% of Orange County voting by mail in the June primary. As of Friday night, the county estimated that there were 175,050 ballots left to count. The city's residents voted for their next mayor, which marks the first time that the race for mayor in Los Angeles coincides with the state elections. This year's election was also impacted by a recent scandal at the City Council over the leak of an audio of racist comments.
Reflecting trends across California, voter turnout at the Orange County polls was low early Wednesday night. The county's Voter Registry office showed that approximately 19.2% of eligible voters cast their ballots in this year's primary, although some ballots mailed before Tuesday's deadline may still be pending. Orange County election officials plan to publish updates every day of the week at 5 p.m., so voters can check the status of their ballot here. He thanked voters and those who supported his campaign, adding that he was grateful to have shared his vision for Orange County.
