California voter rolls hit record high ahead of Tuesday primary

Is Bernie Sanders skydiving to his rally?

(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

On Friday, California Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced that 17,915,053 Californians are registered to vote, the largest number ever heading into a primary election. On Tuesday, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are vying for the biggest pot of delegates in the final contest of the Democratic primary fight. Almost all the swelling of the voter rolls came in the last 45 days of registration, which ended May 23, and 76 percent of the 646,220 new voters registered as Democrats.

"Part of this surge was fueled through social media, as Facebook sent a reminder to all California users to register to vote," said Padilla. "It is clear that Californians are engaged and excited about this election."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.