(News Release)
March 3, 2020 Presidential Primary Election Results Certified – No foolin!
Santa Cruz County Clerk Gail L. Pellerin certified results of the March 3, 2020, Presidential Primary Election on Wednesday, April 1, 2020. Santa Cruz County’s turnout was 63.54%, and we had a record number of registered voters: 163,526.
The Elections Code requires the County Clerk to certify results by the 30th day after the election, which is April 1, 2020. Due to the global pandemic, the Governor extended the certification deadline to April 23, 2020. A summary of the results as well as a precinct-by-precinct report are posted on the website at www.votescount.com and available at the Santa Cruz County Clerk/Elections Department.
March 3, 2020 Election Statistics
|
Voter Registration – Record number! |
163,526 |
|
Total Votes Cast |
103,900 |
|
Turnout Percentage |
63.56% |
|
Total Precinct Votes |
33,222 |
|
Total Vote-by-Mail Votes – Record number for a Presidential Primary! |
70,678 |
|
Total Vote-by-Mail Requests – Record number! |
121,579 |
|
Total Provisional Ballots Counted |
2,499 |
|
Total Provisional Ballots Cast |
2,774 |
|
Total Same Day Voter Registration Ballots Counted |
2,935 |
|
Total Same Day Voter Registration Ballots Cast |
3,086 |
For this election we:
- mailed or emailed a Sample Ballot and Voter Information Guide to each of our county’s 163,526 registered voters,
- offered voting in Santa Cruz and Watsonville for the 29 days before the election,
- opened for weekend voting before the election, conducted same-day voting at 10 early voting locations and the polls on Election Day where 3,086 voters took advantage of California’s law that allows voters to register and vote after the deadline,
- managed voter registration for the county, conducted voter outreach,
- mailed a ballot to our 112,996 permanent vote-by-mail voters along with other 8,583 voters who requested a mail ballot or resided in a mail ballot precinct,
- coordinated staffing of our 138 voting precincts,
- trained more than 1,000 poll workers,
- tested and secured voting equipment at each polling place, and
- audited and secured the votes after the election.
Conducting an election is a monumental task, and it could not be done without the Elections Department’s full-time, part-time, and Election Day poll workers, the assistance and support from other county departments, our City Clerks in Santa Cruz, Capitola, and Scotts Valley, and our Watsonville City Clerk and her staff who provided early voting during the 29 days before the election. Each of these individuals is passionate about our democratic process and committed to providing accessible, accurate, and transparent elections. Together they are an amazing Elections Team, and I am extremely grateful for their service.
I want to take this opportunity to also thank you – the reporters, photographers, camera operators, editors, radio commentators – our local media experts, for the outstanding coverage you gave the March 3, 2020, Presidential Primary Election.
I also want to thank the candidates and campaigns for running professional campaigns and patiently waiting for these results.
Pursuant to California Elections Code, within five (5) days after the completion of the official canvass, any voter may request a recount by filing a written request with the elections official and specifying which candidates and/or measures are to be recounted. “Completion of the canvass” is the day the elections official signs the certified Statement of Vote. Five days from today is Monday, April 6.
The request for a recount may specify the order of the precincts for the recount, and the petitioning voter shall, before the start of each day’s recount, deposit funds with the county elections official to cover costs.
For additional information, please call County Clerk Gail L. Pellerin at 831-454-2419, email at gail.pellerin@santacruzcounty.ca.us, or go online to www.votescount.com.
