Orange County Registrar of Voters

Countdown to Voting - BDBs & OCROV

Voting for the June 2, 2026 Statewide Direct Primary Election will open in 13 days!

A Vote-By-Mail ballot will be mailed to all Orange County voters starting no later than Monday, May 4, marking the start of the voting period.

On that same day, 128 ballot drop boxes will open and will remain open 24/7 through 8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 2. For locations, visit our website at ocvote.gov/voting.

Any voter who does not want to wait for a ballot to be delivered by the U.S. Postal Service, can visit Registrar of Voters (ROV) in Santa Ana on May 4 to receive and vote a ballot. Our office is at 1300 S. Grand Ave., Building C, at the corner of Grand Avenue & McFadden Avenue.

Make sure to check your registration status and visit ocvote.gov/registration to make any necessary updates before May 18.

Bob Page
Registrar of Voters

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Vote-By-Mail ballots for the '26 Primary Election will be mailed to all registered voters no later than May 4.

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FAQ: Why Candidates Who Exit the Race Still Appear on the Ballot

Once a candidate for California statewide office like Governor files a declaration of candidacy for that office, they cannot voluntarily withdraw the candidacy. Their name will still appear on the ballot for the June 2, 2026 Statewide Direct Primary Election.

For this Primary Election, the candidate filing period was from February 9 to March 6, 2026. The Secretary of State published the certified list of candidates on the statutory deadline of March 26, 2026 (68 days before the date of the election). Voters can review that certified list of candidates on the Secretary of State's website at www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/primary-election-june-2-2026.

After a candidate files a declaration for candidacy for a statewide office, a candidate's name can only be removed from the Primary Election ballot by a court order removing them or if the candidate dies before the certified candidate list is published.

ROV already issued ballots to about 10,000 military and overseas voters between April 6 and April 18. ROV also on April 6 started printing ballots for 1.9 million voters that must be mailed no later than May 4.

Voter Turnout Trends

The percentage of Orange County registered voters who cast ballots changes election to election.

2018 Primary – 42.9%

2018 General – 71.0%

2020 Presidential Primary – 50.1%

2020 Presidential General – 87.3%

2021 Gubernatorial Recall – 62.9%

2022 Primary – 35.2%

2022 General – 54.7%

2024 Presidential Primary – 37.7%

2024 Presidential General – 76.1%

2025 Statewide Special – 41.7%

What’s on the ballot plays a large role in voter interest.

Visit ocvote.gov/data for even more real-time voter data information including vote totals, results by district, and voting methods.

Ballots Issued to Military and Overseas Voters

ROV issued ballots to nearly 10,000 U.S. military or overseas voters.

By the statutory deadline on Saturday, April 18, about 8,500 voters received an email containing a link to access their ballot electronically. About 1,300 ballots were mailed to military and overseas voters. Five voters received their ballot by fax.

To make sure their voted ballot has enough time to arrive to ROV, overseas voters should send it back by: 

On a ship at sea: April 28 
Outside the U.S.: May 3 
Stateside: May 22

Learn more at  ocvote.gov/overseas.

VIG Mailing this Week

This week, your County Voter Information Guide is being delivered to the post office.

Your Guide provides trusted election information, explaining how, when, and where to vote in the 2026 Statewide Direct Primary Election, including:

The location and operation days of 191 Vote Centers and 128 Ballot Drop Boxes.
A practice ballot.
Candidate qualification statements.

You can also view your Guide online at ocvote.gov/VIG.


F O L L O W U S


S H A R E N E W S L E T T E R

Current Voter Registration
1,902,012

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