Republican voters lead in raw returns; senior voters account for more than two-thirds of ballots received so far
YREKA — With California’s June 3 primary election one week away, Siskiyou County mail ballot returns stand at 17 percent, according to data from a statewide ballot tracker updated through May 27.
Of 27,557 ballots mailed to registered county voters, 4,711 have been returned. More than 22,800 ballots remain outstanding.
Party Breakdown
Republican voters lead in both raw returns and share of ballots received. Of 11,993 Republican ballots mailed, 2,367 have been returned — a 20 percent return rate. Democrats have returned 1,407 of 7,485 ballots mailed, a 19 percent rate. No Party Preference and other registered voters trail significantly, returning 937 of 8,079 ballots mailed — a 12 percent rate.
Republicans currently account for half of all returned ballots in the county, with Democrats holding 30 percent and No Party Preference voters 20 percent.
Senior Voters Dominating Returns
The sharpest divide in the data is generational. Voters 65 and older — the county’s largest age cohort by ballots mailed at 11,610 — have returned 3,197 ballots, a 28 percent return rate. That single age group accounts for 68 percent of all ballots returned countywide so far.
Middle-aged voters are participating at significantly lower rates. The 50–64 cohort has returned 14 percent of ballots mailed; the 35–49 group has returned 8 percent.
Younger voters have barely engaged. Only 214 of 4,295 ballots mailed to voters between 18 and 34 have been returned — a 5 percent return rate representing roughly 4 percent of total returns.
Racial and Ethnic Composition
White and other voters account for 94 percent of returned ballots, with an 18 percent return rate on 24,755 ballots mailed. Latino voters have returned 204 of 1,788 ballots mailed, an 11 percent rate. Asian voters have returned 42 of 509 ballots at 8 percent, and Black voters 51 of 308 at 17 percent.
What to Watch
Daily returns have accelerated through the final week of May, a pattern typical of mail ballot elections as the deadline approaches. With 83 percent of ballots still outstanding, the composition of late-returning ballots could shift the picture — though the structural advantages of Republican registration and senior voter engagement in Siskiyou County are unlikely to be meaningfully disrupted.
Voters who have not yet returned their mail ballot may do so by dropping it at the Siskiyou County Elections Office in Yreka or at any official ballot drop box through Election Day, June 3. Ballots may also be cast in person at polling locations on Election Day.
Data source: Statewide ballot return tracker, last updated May 27, 2026.
