Election 2020: How to vote in California's Democratic primary and answers to other questions

California's decision to move its primary election from June to March to coincide with Super Tuesday, when 13 other states will also vote, will give voters in the state's Democratic Party primary new relevance.

But there's confusion about who's eligible and what they have to do to participate.

Independent voters are allowed to vote in the Democratic Party primary, but only if they request a Democratic ballot. Uncertainty over whether voters will perform the extra step has added a degree of unpredictability to the race, particularly for the 15 million people who vote by mail rather than in person at a polling place.

County registrars sent out 4.2 million postcards in late December to vote-by-mail voters registered as "No Party Preference," including about 200,000 in Riverside County. The postcards explained how to request a party-specific ballot. The number of people that do — either through returning the postcard or registering online — could have a decisive effect on the March 3 election.

Here are answers to some key questions about voter registration in California.

Am I registered to vote?

Go to voterstatus.sos.ca.gov to check your status and whether you're registered to vote by mail or in person. If you aren't, you can register at registertovote.ca.gov. The California Secretary of State's office has also put together howtovoteforpresident.sos.ca.gov to provide more information on voter registration for the upcoming presidential primary election.

Another option: vote.usatoday.com

Who is on the ballot?

For the presidential race, it depends on your party registration and, if you're an independent voter, what ballot you request. Twenty candidates from the Democratic Party, seven from the Republican Party, five from the American Independent Party, 5 from the Green Party, 13 from the Libertarian Party and two from the Peace & Freedom Party will be on primary ballots in California. A complete list can be found here.

If you're voting in the Democratic presidential primary, your ballot will include "ghost candidates" like Marianne Williamson and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, both of whom dropped out of the race after the Secretary of State finalized ballots on Dec. 26.

Who can vote in the presidential primary elections?

California is holding primary elections for six political parties and voter eligibility rules differ among them. The 5.4 million California voters registered as "No Party Preference" are eligible to vote in the primary elections for the Democratic Party, the American Independent Party and the Libertarian Party, but can't participate in the primaries for the Republican Party, the Green Party or the Peace & Freedom Party because each party sets its own rules and decides whether to hold an "open" or "closed" primary.

If you're registered with a political party — as a Republican or Democrat, for example — candidates for president will automatically appear on your ballot. But if you're not a member of a party, you have to request what's called a crossover ballot to vote in a party primary (more on that later).

What's the big deal about crossover ballots and how do I request one?

"No Party Preference" voters make up 27% of the California electorate and could play a decisive role in deciding the Democratic Party's nominee, but candidates and pundits are unsure how many understand these voters need to take the extra step to request a crossover ballot in order to vote in the presidential primary.

About two-thirds of California voters vote by mail and the 4.2 million registered without a party preference should have received post cards in the mail from their county registrar about requesting crossover ballots in late December. The postcards request return by Jan. 21, but mail voters really have until Feb. 25 — one week before the primary election — to request crossover ballots.

In addition to returning the postcards, you can also call, fax, send a letter or email your county registrar to request a crossover ballot.

Riverside County Registrar Rebecca Spencer said, if mail voters don't return the postcards, they should receive a ballot with no presidential candidates on it.

"As of Jan. 22, we're running the voter file the way it is and if we haven't received a response — and you're a permanent vote-by-mail No Party Preference voter — then you're going to be issued the standard No Party Preference ballot," Spencer said. "But after that, you can still reply and we will issue you a replacement ballot."

I'm super busy. What if I forget to request one?

If you receive a standard No Party Preference ballot without any presidential primary candidates, you can still request a ballot with the Democratic presidential candidates on election day.

"There are two different procedures," Spencer said. "When you go into your polling place, they're going to say you've already been issued a ballot. You can surrender it and get a crossover ballot. If you don't have it with you, you can request a provisional crossover ballot. It's all part of the checks and balances to make sure people don't vote twice."

It seems like there's a lot of deadlines. Which do I need to know?

JAN. 21: No Party Preference voters received a postcard in the mail from the Registrar that said they needed to request mail ballots if they wanted to vote in a party primary by Jan. 21, but it isn't a hard deadline and you can request a vote-by-mail ballot up until a week before the election. Regardless of which party you register with, Jan. 21 is the deadline for voters to register to receive a mail ballot on Feb. 3 when the Registrar mails the initial batch.

FEB. 25: If you're a voter registered as No Party Preference who wants to vote in one of the open primaries, you can request a mail ballot with candidates from the party of your choosing up to a week before the primary election.

MARCH 3: Election day has arrived! If you're registered to vote at the polls, go to your community's designated polling place to cast your vote. If you received a mail ballot, you're also welcome to turn it in at a polling place. That includes if you forgot to request a crossover ballot, you can also go to a polling place and get a replacement ballot to cast your vote.

MARCH 6: The last day the Registrar of Voters will accept mail ballots. These must be postmarked no later than March 3.

What's the difference between "No Party Preference" and Independent?

The American Independent Party is a conservative political party and "No Party Preference" is the designation given to voters who decline to state a party affiliation.

Since 2018, California's Department of Motor Vehicles has automatically registered eligible voters who apply for state IDs and "No Party Preference" is the default choice given to applicants who do not indicate a party preference.

If you're registered with the American Independent Party by accident, you are not eligible to vote in the Democratic Party primary election unless you change your registration.

What's a provisional ballot? What's a conditional ballot? Any other terms to know?

A provisional ballot is for voters who don't appear on the official list of registered voters at a polling place. There are two types of voters who use provisional ballots: Those registered to vote by mail who didn't receive or lost their ballot and those who think they registered to vote at a polling place but aren't listed on the voter roster. Provisional ballots are put in special envelopes so counties can review voter eligibility before counting them in order to ensure accuracy.

Although the official deadline to register to vote is Feb. 18, voters can register all the way up to election day under California's conditional voter registration program. Voters who register conditionally are provided a provisional ballot, which is only counted after the Registrar reviews voter eligibility.

California has what's called a jungle primary system in which the two candidates receiving the most votes in advance to the general election in November regardless of their party affiliation. In races for U.S. Congress and the state legislature, the top-two primary system will still be in effect, but the presidential primary election isn't a blanket non-partisan jungle primary and operates differently.

Fifteen counties* in California have adopted new requirements as part of the 2016 Voter Choice Act. In Voter Choice Act counties, every registered voter receives a mail ballot and, instead of polling places, voters return ballots at any county "vote center" rather than their designated polling place anytime from 11 days before the election to election day. Riverside County is not one of the state's 15 Voter Choice Act counties.

I hear voters under 18 can register? What's the deal with that?

Since 2016, 16 and 17-year-olds have been allowed to "pre-register" to vote in California and, today eligible voters have been automatically pre-registered at DMV offices when they apply for their license. The voting age remains 18.

Sam Metz covers politics. Reach him at samuel.metz@desertsun.com or on Twitter @metzsam.

Editor's Note: Fifteen California counties have adopted new Voter Choice Act procedures and fourteen states will vote on Super Tuesday.