Presidential Primary

If you are registered to vote with a political party, you will be given a ballot for that party in a Presidential Primary election.

No Party Preference registered voters:
If you are unaffiliated with any party (sometimes called “no party preference” or "decline to state"), you will be given a nonpartisan ballot, containing only the names of all candidates for nonpartisan offices and any ballot measures to be voted upon at the primary election.

Each political party has the option of allowing decline-to-state voters to vote in their Presidential primary. The Registrar of Voters maintains the list of the Party’s preference. You can request the ballot of one of the political parties at the polls or your vote-by-mail from the Registrar of Voters.

California Statewide Primary

In June 2012, California started using the Top Two Candidate Open Primary system for statewide offices. 

• All candidates for a given state or congressional office will be listed on a single Primary Election ballot.

• Voters can vote for the candidate of their choice for these offices.

• The top two candidates, as determined by the voters, will advance to the General Election in November.

• The exception to the “Top Two Candidate Open Primary” rule is the Presidential Primary and election of Party Central Committees.