April 5, 2018 - As we continue the detailed and complex process of building the ballot it has become quickly apparent that most, if not all, ballot types in Orange County will stretch to 3-pages (unlike 2016 when most ballot types were 2-pages).
The reason for this is pretty straightforward - for instance:
November 9, 2016 - We are in the process of sorting and preparing the record setting volume of ballots voted, dropped off, or cast as provisionals following yesterday's Presidential General Election. Over 400,000 ballots fall into this category - and it is an enormous undertaking.
November 8, 2016 - in the last three days of early in-person voting we saw gains of 9% over 2012. Sites reported brisk business until we closed, which was 8 p.m. last night. Scores of people showed up to cast their ballot ahead of Election Day - with Irvine leading the pack (1,003) followed by Mission Viejo (852) and Anaheim (548). Sunday was actually the busiest day overall - here is the breakdown of the last three days of early in-person voting:
November 6, 2016 - As we approach Election Day we are standing by to help with any last minute concerns, or assistance we can provide Orange County voters. Our robust website, along with our voter help line (714-567-7600), is ready to provide help when you need it. Click the main panel on our home page, ocvote.com, for 8 of the categories most voters need help with - from emergency ballots to Election Day assistance - it's all within easy reach. Remember, polls open on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
November 6, 2016 - We have been talking about all of the options to vote early in advance of Election Day - and we hope you're considering voting today or tomorrow if you want to avoid Election Day rushes. But if you do plan to vote on Election Day here's something to keep in mind. If you're running short on time remember that all polling places are open until 8:00 p.m. So this means that if you are in line, even if that means you're just jumping in line at 7:59 p.m., you will be guaranteed to vote - regardless of the length of the line.
November 5, 2016 - With Election Day rapidly approaching we are encouraging voters to mail their ballot as soon as possible. The good news is that recent changes to California law allow voters to mail their ballots on (or before) Election Day. As long as the ballot is post-marked on or before November 8th your ballot will count. Prefer to drop off at a polling place?
November 4, 2016 - Our Vote Centers, in operation at six locations throughout Orange County, have been very busy. We have processed over 10,000 voters at these early in-person locations. How does the voting breakdown by age? Younger voters are not turning out early in-person - in fact only 717 have voted at our Vote Centers to date. Here is the complete breakdown:
18-25: 717
26-35: 1,111
36-45: 1,215
46-55: 1,777
56-65: 2,255
66+: 1,981
November 3, 2016 - As of today vote-by-mail returns stand at 384,675 - that is 8.6% ahead of the same period in 2012. How do the returns compare by party? In 2012, the final vote-by-mail ballot returns were made up of 284,647 Republicans, 186,462 Democrat, and 112,438 No Party Preference. As of today the party breakdown by parties is 169,520 Republican, 137,325 Democrat and 74,978 No Party Preference. In 2012 Republicans returned vote-by-mail ballots at an increased rate of 52.6% over Democrats. As of today Republicans have returned ballots at an increased rate of 23.4% over Democrats.
November 3, 2016 - We've done extensive time studies on the November ballot - and here's what we've found out. The November 8th ballot will take the prepared voter (choices known before entering the voting booth) 8 1/2 minutes to vote. How does this compare to the June Primary? The average time it took to vote the June ballot was just under 4 minutes.
October 28, 2016 - We feel that it's important to remind voters to only include their voted ballot in the ballot return envelope (not additional ballots). Occasionally we receive two ballots in one return envelope - and it almost always is the ballot of the spouse, significant other, child, etc. When two are included it's impossible to determine which ballot should be applied to the voter in the household.