Californians voting early in record numbers

Californians are voting in record numbers, with more than a third of the state's 22.3 million ballots already returned to county election offices one week before Election Day. While counties nationwide are reporting hours-long wait times to vote early, voters in the nation's most populous state are putting their ballots in the mail after a state law passed this year required county elections offices to send ballots to all active registered voters at least 29 days before Election Day.

Most of the state's in-person polling places - or vote centers - won't open until Saturday. The state allowed counties to open fewer of them this year because the coronavirus pandemic has made traditional polling places unavailable, like schools and senior centers. Ventura County had 389 polling places in March but will have just 48 vote centers this weekend. About four times as many California residents have participated in early voting so far this year compared to the same period during the 2018 presidential election.