State Sets Mark for Votes Cast in Election

A record number of Californians, 11,374,128, cast ballots in last month’s presidential election, state officials said Wednesday.

That topped the previous high of 10.2 million votes in the 1988 presidential election. But on a percentage basis, November’s turnout was 75.32% of registered voters, far short of the 88.38% in 1964, when the state’s population was a third of today.

However, the Nov. 3 turnout percentage was up from the 72.81% presidential election turnout in 1988, reversing a three-decade decline in turnout.

Only figures on ballots cast were available. The totals on individual races will be released when returns are certified Dec. 14, secretary of state spokeswoman Melissa Warren said.

The turnout among all eligible voters, which includes 20.8 million California citizens over age 18, was 54.7%, up from 53.51% in 1988, but below the record 78.3% turnout among eligible voters in 1940.

Warren also said that nearly 2 million Californians cast absentee ballots in last month’s presidential election, the highest number of absentee ballots in state history.

The number of absentee voters declined on a percentage basis, from 18.4% in the 1990 gubernatorial election to 17.2% last month.

But because the turnout was so much greater this year, 75.32% compared to 58.61% in 1990, this year’s 1,950,124 absentee ballots exceeded the 1990 absentee vote by 497,985 ballots.