By Antonio Ray Harvey
Contributing Writer
SACRAMENTO — California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber officially certified the Nov. 5 general election results from all 58 counties Dec. 13.
Weber reported that 71.43% of registered voters cast ballots in the election. The total number of votes this year — 16,140,044 — was down from the November 2020 vote count, which was 17,785,151, when 80.67% went to the polls.
Among the statewide election statistics reported by the Secretary of State’s Office, 13,034,378 vote-by-mail ballots were cast, while 3,105,666 ballots were cast at voting locations.
Two days before the certification, Weber held a news briefing with media members. During the conference, held on Zoom, Weber shared details about the process of certifying votes.
Weber said, although there were minor issues and glitches, overall the election process in the state ran accordingly.
“There were instances and things that happened, but they did not stop the election,” Weber said. “We did not have people lose confidence and not go to the polls to vote.”
“There were minor glitches that took place, but we addressed each one of them and nothing seemed to linger in regard to people who wanted to vote and participate in the process, which was evident by the generous turnout that we had.”
The Public Policy Institute of California reported Nov. 18 that the decline in votes was notable because there were more registered voters in 2024 than in 2020. The institute estimated that 1.7 million fewer ballots were cast in 2024, despite having 550,000 more registered voters and 1.8 million more eligible residents than in 2020.
Weber acknowledged the decrease in voter participation compared to the November 2020 election, but she said California’s voters’ registration was higher than the rest of the country.
“Nationally, the 2024 registrations are at 63%. So, we are higher (at 70%) than the national average,” Weber said. “Despite what people might say, we are still in the lead regarding voter turnout, participation, and registration with the largest population in the United States.”
AntonioRayHarvey is a reporter for CaliforniaBlackMedia.
