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It’s too early to tell if voter turnout rates in Riverside County and California more broadly surpassed the 2020 election, but a Berkeley IGS Poll estimates an all-time voter turnout record of 82.9%.

Palm Springs Desert Sun

Donald Trump proved victorious in the Nov. 5 presidential election, but a majority of Californians voted for Oakland native and current Vice President Kamala Harris. So how many total Golden State residents participated in the election?

Many ballots still have yet to be counted as of Wednesday morning (the exact number won’t be announced until Thursday, per the secretary of state), so it’s unclear whether overall turnout numbers in California for this election were lower than in 2020, when 80.67% of registered voters — the highest since the 1976 general election — cast their ballots.

According to unofficial results from electionresults.sos.ca.gov, California voter turnout was 44.0% as of 9:42 a.m., but that number is expected to rise significantly. Trump had received 40.1% of the state’s votes counted so far, and Harris earned 57.3%.

Sierra County had the highest voter turnout in the state as of Wednesday morning at 75.8%, while Nevada County had the lowest at 20.5%. Voter turnout in the state’s five most populated counties was as follows as of Wednesday morning: 45.5% in Los Angeles County, 49.2% in San Diego County, 54.1% in Orange County, 39.9% in Riverside County and 36.2% in San Bernardino County.

Because so many ballots have yet to be cast, it’s more helpful to look at estimated voter turnout rates. A Berkeley IGS Poll completed one week before Election Day estimates that California’s 2024 voter turnout rate will be 82.9% — which would be a record, based on the Secretary of State’s 2020 certified general election results.

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