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California reaches historic voter registration milestone ahead of 2020 General Election

A record 21 million Californians are ready to vote this November—take a look at how your county has measured up.

CALIFORNIA, USA — California has hit an important milestone in terms of voter registration just ahead of the 2020 General Election.  

A record 21 million Californians have registered to vote, representing about 83.5 percent of all eligible voters in the state.  

“2020 is another record setting year for voter registration in California,” Secretary of State Alex Padilla said in a statement. “Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, our democracy remains strong and resilient.”

The achievement came just 60 days before the Nov. 3 Presidential Election. Voting begins in only 24 days. Mail-in ballots will be sent out starting Oct. 5 and voters will be able to vote early in-person at their county elections office.

During the 2016 election, just 73 percent of eligible voters were registered a few weeks ahead of the Presidential Election; it's a notable difference from where the state is now. 

Breaking down information by county is very telling of where registered voters are coming from in California. For instance, Los Angeles County has one of the highest percentages at 91.5 percent of eligible voters registered. That's a whopping 5.6 million voters. 

Meanwhile more rural areas of California, like Tulare, had lower percentages, though there are also many fewer residents in those areas. However, Tulare also had the largest increase in registration since the 2016 election at 31 percent.

Here are some local statistics on voter registration as of July 3: 

  • Sacramento County
    • 1,025,361 eligible voters
    • 836,000 registered voters (81.6%)
  • San Joaquin County
    • 464,504 eligible voters
    • 336,598 registered voters (72.5%)
  • Stanislaus County 
    • 346,066 eligible voters
    • 266,575 registered voters (77%)
  • Placer County
    • 285,690 eligible voters
    • 252,283 registered voters (88.3%)
  • Solano County 
    • 293,463 eligible voters
    • 245,392 registered voters (83.6%)
  • Yolo County
    • 150,716 eligible voters
    • 115,340 registered voters (76.5%)

Californians can register to vote until Oct. 19. If an eligible person misses the deadline and still wants to vote, they can complete same day voter registration at their local county elections office or at in-person voting locations. 

WATCH MORE: Inside the Vote Count: This is what happens to your California ballot

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