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

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

We’re just 18 days away from Election Day

By Frank D. Russo

Monday is the deadline to register to vote for Californians who wish to participate in the upcoming June 3, 2008 statewide primary election which will determine who is running for Congress, state legislative offices, local offices, and also will determine the fate of state and local ballot propositions.

We have been getting increasing questions regarding where to obtain information on candidates and ballot propositions—which is a good thing—but the first step is to make sure everyone who wants to vote is eligible to do so.

We’ll be posting more about sources of information to become an informed voter—which include the California Voter Foundation Online Guide, the Secretary of State’s page on this election, and, of course, the California Progress Report and that Google search bar in our banner at the top.

Secretary of State Debra Bowen has provided the following information on how to register or make sure you are registered:

“Registering to vote is simple and free. Registration forms are available at most post offices, public libraries, city and county offices, the Secretary of State’s offices, and online.

“To register to vote in California, a person must be a U.S. citizen, a California resident, and at least 18 years old by Election Day. People who are in prison or on parole for a felony conviction, and people who have been judged by a court to be mentally incompetent, are not eligible to vote in California. An estimated 23 million Californians are eligible to vote, but as of April 4, only 15.9 million were registered.”

Bowen also has said: “In sports, you can’t play if you don’t show up. In elections, you can’t vote if you don’t register first. I hope to see every eligible Californian become an active participant in our democracy by registering to vote.”