• A political party is a group of people who share the same ideas about how the government should be run and what it should do. Parties work to win elections and change laws.

• It does not cost anything to join a party. You do not have to do anything for the party that you choose.

• In the June State Primary, California voters will help narrow down the choices of candidates for political offices to just one from each political party. The winning candidates from each party will run against each other in the November General Election.

• Your County Elections office will mail a Sample Ballot to all registered voters in your county before the election. Your Sample Ballot will include everything you can vote on. Because Primary Elections are to help narrow down the choices of candidates for political offices to just one from each political party in the November General Election, the sample ballot you receive in the mail will only list the candidates competing to represent your political party.

There are six “qualified” parties in California, which means they have enough members to run candidates for office. New political parties can be started if they get enough people to be members.