Californians are set to vote in one of the largest rounds of primary elections in 2022. The elections, scheduled for June 7, will be unique as Senator Alex Padilla’s name will appear on the same ballot, twice.

Padilla, a member of the Democratic party, was roped in as a US Senator after the 2020 presidential elections by Governor Gavin Newsom. Padilla was filling on for Kamala Harris, who went on to be the Vice President of the United States.

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A quick civics revision: A US Senator is typically elected for six years and has no term limits. After every term, the Senator may choose to run in the primary elections and proceed to contest in the midterm polls if they win. Every state in the United States has only two Senators, regardless of population. This means that at any given point in time, there are 100 Senators in the United States.

Senators are elected in a cycle, meaning only one-third of the Senate is up for polls in every midterm round. California does not elect its Senators at the same time. The last polls were held in 2018, which were won by Dianne Feinstein.

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The case of Senator Alex Padilla

Senator Alex Padilla, 49, will be appearing on the same ballot twice in this year’s primary elections in California. The first ballot where Senator Padilla would appear would be to decide who will hold the position till January 2023, when the current term ends.

The second opportunity to vote for Padilla will be to decide who becomes California’s Senator for the next six years, which ends in 2029.

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The top two candidates from the primary vote, regardless of their party, will be on the general election ballot in November, according to California’s electoral laws.