CALIFORNIA VOTERS: VOTE EARLY, LOSE YOUR VOTE?

A Facebook friend posted today that he’d cast his vote today, and that he’d voted with his heart. Indicating that he’d voted for one of the lesser known, or lower ranked candidates.

Let me get right to the point. Unless you are voting for one of the top five candidates in the Democratic race for president, there is a pretty good likelihood that your early voting choice may not be in the race by the time California’s primary roles around on March 3.

Why waste your vote? The Democratic ballot in California (assuming you are going to vote Democrat) boasts twenty candidates, several of whom have already dropped out of the race including, Cory Booker, John Delaney, Marianne Williamson, and Julian Castro.

California’s Sample March 3rd ballot listing the Democratic candidates for President.

Obviously, you wouldn’t want to waste your vote by voting for one of these. Even though your vote will count, it will go nowhere.

And let’s say that you vote early and vote for someone who between now and March 3 drops out of the race. There are no voting do-overs. Once your vote is cast and deposited, it’s over for you.

So if you are considering voting for one of the lesser known candidates who is currently ranking lower in the polls, you may want to hold your vote until somewhere closer to super Tuesday, say March 1st or 2nd. Also remember that in California absentee ballots may be cast any time up to and including election day. They can even be mailed on election day as long as they have sufficient postage and are postmarked March 3rd.

It’s really okay to fall in love and to vote with your heart, or even to cast a protest vote, in the primary, just don’t waste it on someone who’s no longer in the race.

For more information on voting in California, see my previous blog post, “WHY CALIFORNIA ABSENTEE VOTERS SHOULDN’T RUSH TO THE POST OFFICE.”

In case you were wondering . . .