Orange County reports remaining June 2 election ballots left to be counted.

As the June 2 primary election draws to a close, the registrar’s office in Orange County reports that more than 782,000 ballots have been counted thus far, indicating a significant engagement from voters. As of Tuesday evening, there are approximately 37,330 ballots remaining to be processed. This total includes about 16,600 ballots that were received after the official Election Day and are still pending verification, alongside 10,120 ballots that require “curing,” due to issues such as missing signatures or mismatched signatures on ballot envelopes.

California law allows voters until 5 p.m. on June 24 to address any signature discrepancies on their ballots. Meanwhile, roughly 500 conditional voter registration and provisional ballots remain to be verified and processed, according to the latest data from the registrar.

In alignment with California’s election procedures, each registered voter receives a ballot approximately one month prior to the election. Voters have the option to return their ballots in person, via designated drop boxes, or through the mail. Crucially, ballots mailed back will only be counted if they are postmarked by Election Day and received by the county elections office no later than one week after Election Day. As a result, any ballots arriving postmarked after June 2 will not be included in the election outcome.

Despite facing criticism for the length of time taken to declare election results, county election officials maintain that the delay is not due to the counting process itself. Rather, it relates to procedural requirements mandated by state law that ensure proper verification of signatures and provide voters adequate time to rectify any challenges related to their mailed ballots.

Registrar of Voters Bob Page highlighted the ongoing processing of ballots, noting that compared to the previous statewide direct primary election in 2022, the current election has seen a greater number of ballots counted at this point in the canvassing process, with a reduced number still awaiting processing.

Voter turnout has thus far reached approximately 41%, with over 70,200 individuals casting their votes in person at various vote centers on Election Day. This turnout is notably higher compared to turnout figures for recent non-presidential primary elections. For context, the statewide turnout during the June 2022 primary was 33.2%, while Orange County recorded a turnout of 35.17%. In 2018, the turnout for the statewide primary reached 37.54%, with Orange County slightly surpassing this at 42.86%.

The ongoing commitment to accuracy over speed has been underscored by Secretary of State Shirley Weber, emphasizing that ensuring integrity in the electoral process is crucial in protecting voters’ rights, particularly in a state as populous as California where millions of ballots are processed each election cycle. As the final votes are tallied and validated, Orange County’s election framework continues to uphold these crucial principles.