Numerous Cal High students will have an opportunity to vote in the upcoming California presidential primary on March 3 and in the 2020 presidential election in November.

Polls open for the California primary at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. 

Primary elections are a preliminary task in the process of nominating a candidate for president. They allow voters to choose a candidate of preference and then narrow the field of candidates. 

American government teacher Tasneem Khan has helped hundreds of students register vote for about 10 years now.

“I tell students, if you guys don’t go out and make your voices heard someone else will, do your civic duty,” Khan said.

Like Khan, AP government teacher Brandon Andrews hopes students understand the importance of their civic duty to vote.

“By voting, you’re giving a better representation of what America thinks,” Andrews said. 

 In order to vote in the California primary and general election, students have to be registered. 

Registration for the March primary election is due by Feb. 18.

“I can’t register to vote because I’m not 18, but when I am I will register online,”  junior Camille Kutrosky said, who says she plans to vote in the 2020 presidential election this fall. 

Once students have registered to vote, they do not need to re-register unless they change their name, home address, mailing address, or political party preference. 

Students who have not registered and want to vote in the California primary in March must meet the basic requirements: be a United States Citizen and a resident of California, be 18 years or older on election day, and not currently in state or federal prison or on parole for a felony.

 Students can register online at the California government website at www.registertovote.ca.gov. 

Students who choose to register online will need a California driver’s license or California ID number, the last four digits of their social security number, and date of birth. 

Students may also register through a paper registration application, which can be accessed at a county elections office, DMV, library, and U.S post offices. Paper voter registration applications must be filled out and mailed to a county elections office no later than 15 days before the election.

“I want to vote because this is my country and I want my country to be led by a strong and capable person,” senior Ryan Senjit said.

Voters are asked whether they chose to select a political party preference and must vote for the political party they have put as their “preference” when registering to vote. 

Voters who registered to vote and did not state a political party preference are known as No Party Preference (NPP) voters. For presidential primary elections, NPP voters will receive a “non-partisan” ballot that does not include presidential candidates.  The nonpartisan ballot includes the names of candidates for voter-nominated offices and local nonpartisan offices and measures. 

If students are not registered with a preference for a political party but want to vote in the presidential primary, the Democratic party, Libertarian party, and the American Independent Party allow them to vote in their presidential primary. But the Republican primary is closed to people who are not registered as Republicans.

If students would like to vote for another qualified political party’s presidential primary, they must re-register to vote and choose the political party they prefer.

If students are not old enough to vote, they can pre-register as long as they are 16 or 17 years old and meet all the requirements to vote. If students pre-register, they will be automatically registered to vote when they turn 18.

 Once the election days arrive, students may vote at polling places indicated on their voter registration packet or by mail.  Those who choose to vote-by mail have to request a vote-by- mail ballot from their county elections office no more than seven days before the election. 

The last day county elections officials will accept any voter’s application for a vote-by-mail ballots for the primary is Feb. 25. 

A vote-by mail ballot must arrive at a county elections office no later than March 6, three days after the primary. If students don’t think their vote by mail ballot will arrive at a county elections office on time, they can bring it to a polling place in their county on election day. 

Contra Costa County currently has 646,360 registered voters, according to the county website. 

Around 61.4 percent of the citizen voting-age population voted in the 2016 presidential election, according to the U.S Census Bureau. 

“People just complain about things not happening but voting equals change, everyone has that right once their 18, and everyone should use it,” Kutrosky said about the importance of voting.

The U.S Census Bureau also reported that only 46.1 percent of 18-29 year old’s voted in the 2016 presidential election. 

“Political participation is on the decline,” said Andrews, who reviews the primary election process in his  AP Government classes. “Little things matter like the midterm elections.” 

Andrews also hopes students understand that their individual vote counts and is important to the democratic process.