Here’s what happened on Election Day 2022 in Sacramento County before polls closed
California midterm election polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, but eligible voters have been casting ballots since mid-October.
Below you’ll find early voter turnout, what to do if you haven’t voted yet, how to track your California mail ballot, and key races The Sacramento Bee is watching. Check back throughout Election Day for updates to this story before polls close.
What to know for Election Day:
- Here’s what we will — and won’t — know on election night in California
- How does The Sacramento Bee call a winner in the midterms? What to know
- How to track your California mail-in ballot
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Stay updated through the night with The Bee
UPDATE: 7 p.m. Tuesday
The last update made to this story was at 7 p.m. Join The Bee as we follow early results for the 2022 general election throughout the night at the link below.
READ MORE: Live updates on election night for California and Sacramento County.
Here’s how The Sacramento Bee and Associated Press call races
UPDATE: 6:15 p.m. Tuesday
Vote centers across California will close their doors soon, as other states are reporting early results.
The Bee relies on the Associated Press for state and national races, and does not make projections for local contests.
When declaring winners, newsroom editors look at factors, such as percentage of votes counted, historic average casted votes and precinct-level voting data as an indication that a certain candidate could not collect enough votes to meet the candidate in the lead.
It might take awhile for The Bee and Associated Press to call races, compared to past elections, due to the emphasis of vote-by-mail ballots.
READ MORE: How does The Sacramento Bee call a winner in the midterm election? Here’s how it works
— Hanh Truong, @hanhtruong_
Polls begin to close across the United States
UPDATE: 4:23 p.m. Tuesday
Polls are closing for some states in the East Coast, including Virginia, Florida and Georgia. More will close across the country at 5 p.m., pacific time. They close in California at 8 p.m.
Watch the balance of power for the U.S. Senate, U.S. House and governors across the nation as results are counted across the country. Remember: These are early, unofficial results.
— Hanh Truong, @hanhtruong_
Mid-day Sacramento County voter turnout nears 30%
UPDATE: 3:30 p.m. Tuesday
Nearly 29% of Sacramento County voters cast their ballots by Tuesday afternoon for the 2022 California general election.
Nearly 250,000 votes have been processed in Sacramento County, said county spokeswoman Janna Haynes in an email to The Bee. For context, the area has more than 864,000 registered voters and approximately 71% of them haven’t voted.
In-person voting has turned the least amount of participation across the county as of Tuesday afternoon with a little more than 13,800 votes cast at a poll center. Compared to the more than 235,000 ballots that were either mailed back to election officials or returned to a designated drop box.
There is still time to vote and typically those who vote in person do so in the evening Haynes said.
— Brianna Taylor, @briannajoyt_
Newsom projected to keep California governor seat
UPDATE: 2:30 p.m. Tuesday
Incumbent Gov. Gavin Newsom headed to the polls Tuesday with wife and First Partner Jennifer Siebel-Newsom.
“My one admonition to you is to vote California,” Newsom said in a video posted to Twitter after he and Siebel-Newsom voted.
The Democrat is projected to win a second four-year term as governor, the Associated Press reported.
Republican challenger state Sen. Brian Dahle ran a quiet campaign in what AP calls a “sleepy race.”
“Newsom hardly campaigned,” the AP wrote, “instead using some of the tens of millions of dollars in his campaign account to pay for ads in other states on gun control, abortion rights and other issues as part of his attempt to reshape the national Democratic Party’s message.”
There’s speculation that Newsom plans to run for president, which he had denied. The two politicians clash on abortion rights, homelessness and public schools.
Polling centers and mail drop boxes across California will close 8 p.m. Tuesday. If you’re not registered to vote, you can register at the polls and cast your ballot on Election Day.
— Brianna Taylor, @briannajoyt_
Sacramento County running behind on voter turnout
UPDATE: 11:30 a.m. Tuesday
Sacramento County’s voter turnout is “running a little bit behind” compared to its participation numbers in the November 2018 election — a record turnout year, county spokeswoman Janna Haynes said Tuesday.
Despite the rain pummeling the capital city, around 2,200 people voted in person before 9:45 a.m. Tuesday and around 5,700 people voted in person 10 days leading up to Election Day. Overall, including early and mail ballots, roughly 25% of Sacramento County voters have cast ballots.
There are several factors to the low voter turnout and it has nothing to do with the weather: Most people utilize vote-by-mail ballots and those who prefer to vote in person usually do so in the evening on Election Day.
“The midterm is never going to be the presidential turnout,” Haynes said. “But we certainly expect a higher turnout than we had in the June primary.”
Sacramento residents waiting until the evening on Tuesday to vote will likely be surrounded by thunderstorms, light wind and more rain.
El Dorado County election officials have collected 2,326 in-person votes, according to El Dorado County Elections office, since its 15 polling centers opened Oct. 29.
Placer and Yolo Counties weren’t immediately available for comment.
— Brianna Taylor, @briannajoyt_
California races could determine US House control
UPDATE: 9:30 a.m. Tuesday
In California, the state’s U.S. House races could give Republicans the advantage they need to control Congress next year.
Republican leaders believe up to five districts across the state could side with the GOP, according to the Associated Press, giving the party enough momentum to control the House. If that happens, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco may have to give her seat to Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield.
The main battle grounds are in Orange County and the Central Valley, the AP reported.
“The stakes were spotlighted last week, when President Joe Biden traveled to Southern California to campaign on behalf of endangered Democratic Rep. Mike Levin, whose district straddles Orange and San Diego counties,” the AP wrote. “It was Biden’s second trip to California in less than three weeks. Meantime, Vice President Kamala Harris was in Los Angeles for a rally Monday to urge Democratic voters to get to the polls.”
Experts nationwide expect Republican candidates to do well in the 2022 midterm elections, according to previous Bee reporting. Meanwhile, other consultants believe California Democrats running for statewide office will hinder blue turnout.
There are currently 220 Democrats, 212 Republicans and three open seats in the House.
READ MORE: These are California closet 2022 congressional elections to watch, analysts say
— Brianna Taylor, @briannajoyt_
Early voter turnout across California
UPDATE: 8:00 a.m. Tuesday
Election officials in the Sacramento area have predicted a high voter turnout for the 2022 midterm election.
But by the time polls opened Tuesday morning, election participation across California was bleak for a state that typically sees a majority of residents vote by mail. Through Monday, only 23% off all ballots were returned statewide, according to Political Data Inc. That would include more than 5 million mail-in ballots and early in-person votes.
In Sacramento County, roughly 25% of ballots made their way back to election officials. In a Monday afternoon update, county spokeswoman Janna Haynes said 221,006 ballots had been returned, most of them by mail or drop box.
Voter turnout was similar across El Dorado, Placer and Yolo Counties, dancing between 31% to 33% of all ballots returned.
In June, primary voter turnout was low. Election officials cited fatigue from the defeated recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom the previous November.
Several old-fashioned in-person polling places in Sacramento hadn’t seen a single voter by noon Saturday, when polls opened for early voting.
However, early voter turnout numbers may not be indicative of overall participation in the midterm.
PDI Vice President Paul Mitchell told KCRA that voters may be waiting until the last minute to cast their votes due to the ballot being more complicated than in the recall. He also said many Republicans plan to head to in-person polling places Tuesday.
There is hope local implications in this midterm will push more people to the polls.
“We are really pushing the fact that midterm elections have so many local implications – local elected officials, local measures. These things impact your daily life more than the presidential election,” said Janna Haynes, Public Information Officer at Sacramento County’s Voter Registration and Elections office.
— Brianna Taylor, @briannajoyt_
Need to cast a vote?
You can still turn in a ballot at a voting center near you. You can find closest polling place on the Sacramento County website. If you missed the deadline to register, you can still cast a conditional ballot and register at the polls.
If you’re in the Sacramento area, you can get a free ride on Election Day to vote.
If you already voted, you can track your ballot online and see if it’s been counted.
What to know about this election
The California 2022 General Election is contesting seats for governor, U.S. Senate, House of Representatives, as well as local offices, such as county board supervisor. There are also seven statewide propositions and a handful of local city measures to vote on.
Read more
Statewide races we’re watching:
- Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom is being challenged by Sen. Brian Dahle, a Republican. See where they stand on the issues.
- For U.S. Senate, Sen. Alex Padilla is facing attorney Mark Meuser.
Some of the local and regional races we’re watching:
Kevin Kiley is going against Kermit Jones in California’s 3rd District. See where the candidates stand
County supervisor in scandal. Democrat trying to hold on. A look at one Central Valley race
California Republican voted to impeach Trump. Now he’s in a tossup race with a Valley Democrat
These California congressmen are in tight races, but they have a big election advantage
State propositions:
- California voters have 7 ballot measures to consider. Here’s what you need to know
- Proposition 26 or 27? How to make sense of dueling California sports bet ballot questions
- Proposition 31: Should California ban sale of flavored tobacco products including menthols?
- Proposition 30: Should California tax the rich to pay for electric cars, wildfire protection?
Local Sacramento County measures:
3 sales tax increases are on Sacramento County ballots. Will inflation sink them?
Sacramento ballot measure would free up money for arts and attractions. Here’s how it works
Would Sacramento’s Measure O make a dent in homelessness? A pro and con from advocates
— Hanh Truong, @hanhtruong_
Have any questions about the election? Send them to us through the form below.
The Bee will have live updates for you here throughout the day.
This story was originally published November 8, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Here’s what happened on Election Day 2022 in Sacramento County before polls closed."