Our top story on Midday Edition, today is the deadline to register to vote in California is June 5 primary. There are some innovations this time around making it easier to register even at the last minute. Joining me as San Diego County registrar of voters Michael Cohen. Welcome Michael. Mike can help people register to vote if they have not done it already. >> You want to hop onto our website SD vote.com. There is a link where you can register to vote. Before you register, check to see if you are registered, there is a link that says to check your voter registration. Put in a couple of pieces of information and you could determine whether or not you are already registered in San Diego County. >>> They can still do it the old-fashioned way mail you something, is that right? >> That is correct. Pick up any registration for Mettis city clerk's office, library, our office, the DMV, post office, pick up a paper registration form there. fill it out and has to be postmarked right today in order for to be eligible for the June 5 election. >>> What happens if you don't end up registering by tonight either way online or by getting the registration in the mail? Is there a way you can still vote? >> This is the first statewide election work additional voter registration becomes an effect. What that means is if you missed today's deadline, I do not advise individuals to procrastinate, it is so simple to register online at the time midnight hits or fill out a registration form, you still have the opportunity to participate in the election. It is the conditional voter registration starting tomorrow May 22 through election day at 8 PM, a person can come into our office here at 5600 Overland and register and vote same-day. It is the first time it has come about as a result of this new law. It actually was not -- was in place since gender first of 2017 but this is the first time we found a for a general election. >>> If you do it that way your vote will still count like everyone else's ? >> That is correct. Once you register and vote, the ballot that you vote here at our office will be segregated into a provisional envelope. Have to confirm that you have not registered and voted anywhere else within the state. If you have not, we can count that ballot. >>> Any conditions about turnout this year based on the amount of mail and ballots you have received already ? >> We have received 71,000 ballots into our office. That is a good showing. Not as high as I anticipated since we sent out 1.1 million. Let me throughout figures. In the last 30 years, the highest turnout of it election was 40%. The last gubernatorial election was 27% turnout. Not really that high. We sent out 1.1 million mail ballots out there that bumps up the overall figures of turnout. I hope voters are not sitting on their mail ballots. I hope they open it up, vote, get it back to our office ASAP. >>> I have been speaking with Mike over. Michael, thank you. >> Thank you.
Monday is the deadline for anyone who is not registered to vote in California, but wants to vote in the June primary.
San Diego County Registrar of Voters Michael Vu said residents can register online at sdvote.com until midnight. Hard-copy registration forms must be postmarked or delivered to the registrar Monday. Forms are available at the registrar's office on Overland Avenue, or at any public library, post office or DMV office.
More than 77,000 new voters have registered in San Diego County since November 2016. Vu said the increase in voter registration is largely due to the many new independent voters, who now make up 29 percent of the county's registered voters. That's roughly equal to the number of people who are registered Republican. Democrats make up 37 percent of the county's registered voters.
