Early ballot returns rise 41% in CA‑41 as Democrats pull ahead across age groups

Early ballot returns rise 41% in CA‑41 as Democrats pull ahead across age groups

Whittier Ca-Voters in California’s 41st Congressional District had returned 105,260 ballots by the eve of Election Day, up from 74,528 at the same point in the 2022 midterm, according to Political Data Inc. The districtwide return rate rose from 16.76% to 22.20%. PDI mapped the 2022 figures to the district’s 2026 boundaries for the comparison.

Registered Republicans improved on their 2022 pace, from 21.25% to 24.01%, but registered Democrats gained more, rising from 17.38% to 25.35%. That reversed the early return-rate advantage Republicans held at the same point in 2022. Registered Democrats accounted for 55,069 returned ballots, Republicans 29,649, and voters with no party preference or another party registration 20,542.

The reversal showed up in every age group. Republicans had higher return rates in all four age groups in 2022. This year, Democrats led in all four, with the widest gap among voters ages 35 to 49, at 17.52% to 12.19%. Voters 65 and older still made up the largest share of early returns, accounting for about 45% districtwide.

The tracker shows which voters returned ballots by registration and age. How those ballots broke in the congressional race involving Rep. Linda Sánchez will become clearer as election officials release vote totals.

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