You’ve got a ballot sitting on your kitchen counter, and it’s likely covered in coffee stains by now. Tomorrow, June 2, is your last chance to do something about it.
If you’re tempted to skip this election cycle because it’s a primary, don't. California uses a top-two primary system. That means the two candidates with the most votes advance to November, even if they belong to the exact same political party. In deep-blue or deep-red districts, tomorrow is the actual election.
Waiting until November means someone else already picked your menu. Let's break down exactly what you're deciding right now.
The Wild Race for Governor
Gavin Newsom is officially out. He hit his term limits, which means the governor's mansion is up for grabs, and the field is absolute chaos.
Six Democrats and two major Republicans are fighting for the top two spots. Because of the open primary rules, we could easily end up with a November matchup between two Democrats, completely shutting Republicans out of the state's highest office.
The frontrunners reflect a massive ideological split. You have traditional state powerhouses like Attorney General Rob Bonta and former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra running on heavy institutional support. On the other side, the Republican faction is attempting to consolidate its base to secure at least one spot on the general election ballot.
If you don't cast a vote now, the ideological direction of California for the next four years will be decided by a sliver of highly active primary voters.
Congressional Midterms and Redrawn Boundaries
Control of the U.S. House of Representatives runs directly through California. Following the implementation of redrawn district maps, five of the nine congressional seats currently held by Republicans have shifted to lean slightly more Democratic.
All 52 of California’s congressional seats are on your ballot tomorrow.
National parties are pouring millions into suburban battlegrounds in Orange County, the Central Valley, and parts of the Inland Empire. Incumbents are sweating. In competitive districts, the primary turnout dictates the momentum and funding a campaign receives moving into the summer. Your vote tells the national committees whether a district is worth fighting for or abandoning.
Additionally, every single one of the 80 State Assembly seats and 20 State Senate seats are on the ballot. If you care about local housing laws, climate regulations, or state tax spending, these legislative races matter significantly more than federal gridlock.
The Los Angeles Mayoral Referendum
If you live in Los Angeles, your ballot features a high-stakes local battle. Mayor Karen Bass is up for reelection, and what once looked like an easy path to a second term has turned into a brutal ideological fight.
A UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs poll dropped a bombshell recently, revealing that 40% of likely voters were still undecided. That is massive for an incumbent mayor. Bass currently holds 25% of the support, but she is facing serious pressure from both the left and the right.
- The Right-Leaning Surge: Reality TV personality Spencer Pratt is running a campaign focused entirely on public safety, anti-vagrancy laws, and crime reduction. He managed to snag endorsements from prominent national conservative figures and even a nod of interest from Donald Trump. He sits at 11% in the polls.
- The Progressive Shift: City Councilmember Nithya Raman is challenging Bass from the progressive left, sitting at 9%. Raman’s platform leans heavily on aggressive renter protections, permanent housing infrastructure, and a rethink of traditional law enforcement budgets.
Because an incumbent hasn't lost an LA mayoral race since James Hahn in 2005, a Bass defeat would shock the state's political system. With so many undecided voters, tomorrow’s vote will determine if Bass can win outright with a majority or if we're heading to a polarizing November runoff.
The Rematch for LA County Sheriff
The drama doesn't stop at City Hall. The largest sheriff's department in the country is experiencing a bitter political replay.
Incumbent Sheriff Robert Luna is running for reelection, pitching a message of stability, a 25% drop in homicides since 2023, and increased departmental accountability. However, his predecessor, Alex Villanueva, is back on the ballot to reclaim his old job.
Villanueva, who lost to Luna in 2022, is running a fiery campaign targeting Luna's handling of the jail systems and retail theft. It's a crowded field of eight candidates, including retired LASD captain Mike Bornman and lieutenant Eric Strong. If no one clears the 50% threshold tomorrow, the top two face off in November.
No Statewide Propositions This Time
Here is a bit of relief for your brain. If you’re looking for statewide propositions on your ballot, you won’t find any.
The League of Women Voters of California confirmed that no statewide measures qualified for the June 2 ballot. All those high-profile initiatives you’ve heard about—like the regulations on AI companion chatbots or changes to the state minimum guarantee for education funding—are targeted for the November general election or are still processing signatures. Tomorrow is strictly about picking people, not policies.
Your Immediate Next Steps
Don't let your ballot sit there until it's too late. Here is what you need to do to make sure your vote actually counts tomorrow.
- Check the Postmark: If you're mailing your ballot, it must be postmarked by Tuesday, June 2. Don't just drop it in a mailbox late in the evening. If it's close to the 8:00 p.m. deadline, take it inside a U.S. Post Office and ask an employee to hand-stamp the postmark.
- Locate a Drop Box or Vote Center: Avoid the mail altogether by dropping your signed envelope into an official county secure drop-off box or walking it into any local vote center before 8:00 p.m. tomorrow.
- Same-Day Registration: If you forgot to register or change your address, you can still vote. Head to any local vote center tomorrow, complete a same-day voter registration form, and cast a conditional ballot on the spot.
Complaining about the state of California or the city of Los Angeles means nothing if you leave your ballot on your counter. Fill it out tonight, sign the back of the envelope, and drop it off tomorrow.
