Majority of California voters cast mail-in ballots

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More Californians cast their ballots by mail than at the ballot box this fall, the first time that has ever happened in a statewide general election.

In all, 72% of the state’s 18.2 million registered voters cast ballots in the Nov. 6 election – slightly more than 13.2 million voters in all. Of those, 51% cast their ballots by mail.

The Secretary of State’s office also found that voters who registered in the weeks before election day voted at a higher rate than other registered voters.

This year saw a record number of Californians registering to vote, spurred by a new state law that allowed them to register online.

Turnout was highest in Marin County, where 87.4% of those registered cast ballots. The Central California county of Merced had the lowest turnout with just 63.5% of voters filling out their ballots.

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--Anthony York in Sacramento