Almost half of the nation will cast their ballots on March 5 for different races across the country, including Californians. The 2024 California presidential primary election this Super Tuesday will have more than just the presidential race on the ballot, and if you aren’t yet registered to vote in it, you can still participate in those elections.
How to vote
All registered voters in California automatically receive their ballots in the mail, which will be accepted in person up until 8 p.m. on Election Day, and via mail until March 12, so long as they are postmarked on March 5 or prior. California is currently conducting advance voting by mail and at local election offices, polling sites and ballot drop boxes. You can find those nearest to you with the California Secretary of State’s Vote California tool.
While Feb. 20 was the last day to register to vote, California allows for conditional same-day voter registration through Election Day. Polling places and vote centers will be open statewide from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on March 5. Voters registering that day will have their ballots processed and counted upon verification of their registration. California does not require voter identification, except for some first-time voters.
The most accessible way for Trojans to vote is by dropping off their ballot or completing same-day registration and voting at the USC Village Vote Center. There are three other voting centers near USC’s campus for early and Election-Day voting.
For those living off-campus, find your closest voting center on the California Secretary of State website.
What’s on the ballot: National and Statewide
Presidential Primary Election
If you are registered to vote in any of the following parties, your ballot will include candidates solely from that party: Democratic Party, Republican Party, Green Party, Libertarian Party, Peace and Freedom Party and the American Independent Party.
If you are registered under “No Party Preference,” you must request a ballot with candidates from the Democratic Party, Libertarian Party or American Independent Party.
Candidates for the Democratic Party include President Joe Biden, Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips and author Marianne Williamson. The Republican Party ballot will have former President Donald Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. Notable third-party candidates include environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and professor and progressive activist Cornel West both running as independents, as well as doctor and activist Jill Stein running for the Green Party.
U.S. Senate Elections
The U.S. Senate elections have a bit of an odd look this year due to the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s untimely passing while in office. There are two separate elections with the same candidates, and voters can choose their preferences in each. The first is to elect a senator to serve the rest of Feinstein’s term, which ends in January 2025 and is currently held by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s appointee, Laphonza Butler.
The second is to elect a U.S. senator to serve a full 6 year term beginning in January 2025. California’s top two primary system means that the two candidates — from any party — who receive the most votes will move on to the general election. Former Dodger Steve Garvey is running as a Republican, and Reps. Barbara Lee, Katie Porter and Adam Schiff are running as Democrats.
Prop 1
Ballots will include one statewide measure, Proposition 1, which would fund a $6.4 billion bond to vastly expand California’s mental health and substance abuse treatment infrastructure. It stipulates that $4.4 billion of the funding would go towards building 10,000 in-patient and residential treatment beds throughout the state.
The remainder of the funds would be used for permanent supportive housing, half of which would be specifically set aside for veterans experiencing mental illness or addiction. The measure would also require counties to prioritize housing for houseless individuals when allocating their existing mental health funding.
State District-specific races
U.S. House of Representatives Seats
All of California’s 52 U.S. House of Representatives seats are up for grabs in this primary election and like the Senate race, the top two candidates in each district will move on to the general election in November. If you are a California resident registered in a district other than USC’s, you can find specifics about your candidate and race details here.
USC’s campus and surrounding area fall under U.S. House District 37. Four candidates are running for the seat, including the incumbent Democratic Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Democrat and U.S. Navy veteran Adam J. Carmichael, working-class advocate John Thompson Parker for the Green Party and train mechanic Juan Ray running under no party.
State Legislature Seats
Half of the California State Senate districts also have elections this year, not including USC’s State Senate District 28. Other district race information can be found here.
All seats in the California State Assembly are up for election, and you can find your district using your address here. USC’s South Los Angeles Assembly District 57 has been held by Democratic Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer for more than a decade, who will not be running for re-election due to term limits.
Five Democratic newcomers are running for the seat with no Republican challengers. The candidates are: small-business owner and U.S. Marine Corp veteran Efran Martinez who ran a competitive race against Jones-Sawer in 2020, educator and community organizer Sade Elhawary, community organizer and nonprofit director Greg Akili, educator and neighborhood council member Dulce Vasquez and Tara Perry, reparations advocate and founder of Black Pact.
L.A. County Elections
Party-nominated
There are two party-nominated races and three nonpartisan races on the ballot for L.A. County.
Party-nominated offices include Democratic and Republican Party County Central Committee seats and Peace and Freedom Party Central Committee seats, which are elected by Assembly Districts.
There are 10 candidates running for the Democratic County Council in USC’s 57th District, but there is not a Republican Party race in our district this year.
LAist thoroughly describes the races.
Nonpartisan
Nonpartisan races follow the top-two runoff system, with the exception that if one candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, they automatically win the race. Nonpartisan offices on the ballot are County Supervisor for the 2nd, 4th and 5th Districts, District Attorney and Superior Court Judge.
USC belongs to L.A. County District 2, in which four candidates are running to be on the L.A. County Board of Supervisors.
Incumbent Holly J. Mitchell has held the seat since 2020, and prior to that she served as a state senator. Challengers include education consultant Daphne D. Bradford, businessman Clint D. Carlton and nonprofit executive Katrina Williams.
There are 11 candidates running against incumbent L.A. County Dist. Atty. George Gascón, who has been criticized to be easy-on-crime. The top-two candidates from this race will compete for the seat in November.
An extensive number of candidates are running for Superior Court Judge seats, but LAist has put together a comprehensive guide to help curious voters.
L.A. City Elections
City Council
L.A. City Council seats are open in Districts 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14.
USC’s campus resides in City Council District 9, represented by Councilmember Curren D. Price Jr., but closely borders surrounding districts 1 and 8, so be sure to check where your address falls. Of those, only District 8 has a race, in which three candidates are running: incumbent Marqueece Harris-Dawson, real estate broker Jahan Epps and union community organizer Cliff Smith.
Board of Education
Four L.A. Board of Education seats are on the ballot in Board of Education Districts 1, 3, 5 and 7. USC resides in District 1, with some housing east of campus falling in District 5. Seven candidates are running for USC’s District 1, and four candidates are running for the neighboring District 5.
Citizen Ballot Measure HLA
The final election on the ballot for L.A. City will be citizen ballot Measure HLA, the City Mobility Plan Streets Improvement Measures initiative. This measure will force the city to implement its Mobility Plan approved in 2015, on which little progress has been made.
The measure requires a majority vote of 50% + 1 to pass. Supporters of the measure point to its value in terms of street safety, while opposition alleges that the measure would cause chaos for Angelenos on the roads.