Results Timing, Voter Turnout & More: 5 Things To Know On CA’s Primary Election Day

SACRAMENTO, CA — One of California's more tumultuous primary elections in years concludes Tuesday against a backdrop of political scandals, in-party fighting, and a high-stakes national gerrymandering war. It has made it one of the most watched elections in the country.

Among the key questions before California voters on Tuesday was who should succeed outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom, and who would lead the largest city in the state while hosting the Olympics.

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1. A Record Number Of Registered Voters

More than 23 million Californians have already registered to vote, setting a new record for the state, election officials reported last month.

The latest Report of Registration, released by Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, found that 23,155,447 eligible Californians were registered to vote as of May 18, the highest total in state history.

Recent polls show voters are tuning into the primary election, with 95.1 percent of registered voters reporting they were very likely to vote on election day, according to an Emerson College Polling/Inside California Politics poll released May 13.

2. The Economy Tops CA Voters' Concerns: Poll

Although immigration policies and enforcement have permeated national discourse during the election cycle, the Emerson College Polling/Inside California Politics poll also found that among ten key issues, the economy concerned voters the most with 41.8 percent reporting it was the most important issue facing California.

Housing affordability came in second on the list with 21.2 percent of voters, followed by "threats to democracy" with 8.5 percent of voters. Immigration ranked fourth with 8.1 percent of voters.

3. Many CA Voters Have Hesitated To Choose A Gubernatorial Candidate

A survey released last month by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) indicated about four in ten California voters were not satisfied with the field of gubernatorial candidates amid concerns over controversies hampering the leading Democrats' campaigns.

Gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer has risen in the polls but new claims that the billionaire businessman's campaign had paid content creators to boost his bid for governor are hounding his campaign due to a lack of transparency about the arrangement.

His fellow Democratic contender Xavier Becerra was the subject of a Fair Political Practices Commission complaint alleging he broke campaign finance laws, but Becerra continues to surge in the latest polls.

According to an anonymous complaint submitted last month to the Fair Political Practices Commission, Becerra was accused of illegally using a dormant campaign account to pay his former campaign manager, The Sacramento Bee reported.

The allegations are related to a federal indictment filed late last year in which Becerra is described as the victim of a crime by former staffers.

4. Nithya Raman Narrows Karen Bass' Lead For LA Mayor: Poll

In a contentious battle to lead the nation's second largest city, new poll shows incumbent Mayor Karen Bass was fighting to maintain her edge over challenger Nithya Raman in her campaign to lead Los Angeles for a second term.

The poll released Thursday showed Bass holding a 1 percent advantage over her progressive rival, with 26 percent of support among likely voters, and Raman gaining 25 percent of support. That one percent lead is well within the poll's 3 percent margin of error. The poll was conducted by the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies and commissioned by The Los Angeles Times.

The Berkeley Institute poll surveyed 1,351 likely Los Angeles voters from May 19 t0 May 24.

Most credible polls have shown former reality television star Spencer Pratt trailing Bass and Raman throughout the Los Angeles mayor's race, including the Berkeley poll showing the Republican trailing Raman with 22 percent of support.

Professor Christian Grose, director of the USC Democracy and Fair Elections Lab, said last month it's possible Democratic voters have reservations about Steyer and former state Attorney General Xavier Becerra — and noted voters are returning their ballots later than California has historically seen.

5. The Election Results Could Take Days To Return

Many California voters have not returned their vote-by-mail ballots, and political experts are warning that could mean dayslong delays in determining the winners of various races.

"We won’t know the winner at the end of Tuesday night, probably not even by the end of this week," said KTLA political analyst Matt Klink said. "There are going to be a lot of late ballots that need to be counted. That process takes time, and it’s going to drive both candidates and voters crazy as they wait to see what the November ballot will look like."

Vote-by-mail ballots received by county election officials before election day are usually counted that day. More vote-by-mail ballots are dropped off at polling locations, drop-box locations, and arrive at county elections offices on election day. VBM ballots postmarked on or before election day and received by county elections officials no later than 7 days after election day must be processed, officials said.

It can take up to 30 days for county election officials to verify voter records and determine if ballots have been cast by eligible voters.

Voters who are unsure of their registration status can check online through the Secretary of State's Office at https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov.