Your 2024 California primary questions answered

California’s primary season is upon us — and it’s OK if you haven’t yet turned in your ballot.

While ballots were mailed out to registered voters a few weeks ago and vote centers and drop boxes have been open around the county for a bit, there’s a lot to navigate in the primary. Not only are there a bevy of candidates running for the open U.S. Senate seat, but you may have a local measure or recall question on your ballot as well.

From why certain races may be missing from your ballot — or are on there twice — to how to track your ballot, we answered some of your primary questions below.

I’ve misplaced my ballot that I got in the mail a while ago. How can I still vote?

If you didn’t receive your ballot in the mail or it’s been lost or destroyed, you can get a replacement at your local county elections office or a vote center, where you can also vote in person.

You can only request a replacement ballot for yourself. According to the Secretary of State, requesting a replacement ballot for someone else is a criminal offense.

If you’ve still got your ballot, however, there are three ways you can cast it: Return it via the U.S. Postal Service (no postage is required, but it must be postmarked by March 5), place it in a drop box around the county or take it to a vote center.

Why am I seeing the California Senate race on my ballot twice?

No, you’re not seeing double: The open U.S. Senate race for the seat held by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein is on the ballot twice.

There’s the regular Senate race for a six-year term and a special one to serve the remainder of Feinstein’s term, which ends in January 2025. Sen. Laphonza Butler, who was appointed to the seat after Feinstein’s death, is not running for a full term.

What exactly are central committee positions?

You may have central committee candidates on your ballot, depending on which political party you’re registered with. Central committees are the governing bodies of the political parties.

If you’re a registered Republican, all of the candidates on your ballot will be vying to become members of the Republican County Central Committee; if you’re a registered Democrat, the candidates before you are seeking to be elected to the Democratic County Central Committee.

You can find more about the candidates through their filing statements at your county elections office or by searching for their campaign websites or social media accounts.

How are primary elections different?

In California’s primary system, the top two vote-getters, regardless of political party, move on to the general election. Keep in mind, though, this does not apply to the presidential race or county central committee or local office elections.

For the top-two system, the top two vote-getters move to the November general election regardless of candidate pool size, party affiliation or if one candidate gets the majority of all votes cast. Per the secretary of state, only candidates for voter-nominated offices in special elections or candidates for State Superintendent of Public Instruction can win outright with a majority of votes (more than 50%) in the top-two system.

I got a notification about a missing signature on my ballot. What should I do?

Good news: You can fix a missing or mismatched signature on the ballot up until 5 p.m. two days before the county certifies election results. Counties are required to certify their election results and submit them to the secretary of state no later than April 2, but when they expect to complete the process may vary by county office and you should reach out to your local registrar.

If you get that notification, you can fill out a form to provide a signature and confirm that you voted your ballot, according to the secretary of state.

Why isn’t the presidential race on my ballot?

You may have noticed the presidential primary isn’t on your ballot, and that is because of how you’re registered to vote.

The Republican presidential primary election is closed, meaning only voters who have marked the GOP for their party affiliation can vote in that election.

The Democratic presidential primary, on the other hand, is a modified-closed election. That means only voters who have marked Democrat as their party affiliation or have chosen no party preference can participate in that vote.

Aside from the Democratic presidential primary election, no party preference voters can participate in the American Independent Party or Libertarian Party primaries. They can only participate in one, though.

No party preference voters must request a ballot with presidential candidates on it, per the secretary of state’s guidelines, and voters can change their party affiliation at any time to participate in a presidential primary election. There is no commitment for how long you have to maintain that party affiliation.

I’m not sure if I’m registered to vote. How do I check?

Check your voter registration by contacting your county registrar’s office, checking at a vote center or visiting sos.ca.gov/elections/registration-status.

The deadline to register to vote was 14 days before Election Day. But if you’ve missed the deadline, you can still cast a ballot. Head to your county elections office, polling place or vote center to register and cast a conditional ballot. Those are “processed and counted once the county elections office has completed the voter registration verification process,” according to the Secretary of State’s Office.

When is my polling place open?

On March 5, all polling place locations must be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

For vote centers, check with your county elections office to find out what’s open ahead of March 5.

If I am homeless, can I still vote?

People who are experiencing homelessness are still eligible to vote.

When registering to vote, an unhoused person must provide a California driver’s license, state-issued ID or the last four digits of their Social Security number.