How to register to vote
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the general election on Nov. 3
The deadline to register to vote for the Nov. 3 general election is Oct. 19.
There are a few ways to register, said Wendy Hudson, chief deputy registrar with the Sonoma County Registrar of Voters.
People can register online at registertovote.ca.gov, or do so in-person at the Registrar of Voter’s Office (3880 Brickway Blvd. #200, Santa Rosa). Other places to register include any Department of Motor Vehicles field office, public libraries, and many post offices and government offices, Hudson said in an email exchange with Petaluma Voice.
If would-be voters miss that deadline (it’s 15 days before the election), they’re not excluded from voting. They’ll need to conditionally register to vote and will receive a conditional ballot, which won’t be counted until after the election, Hudson said.
This conditional registration is considered a “safety net” for those who miss the deadline to register or update their registration information, according to the Secretary of State’s website.
To conditionally register, voters should visit the county elections office, a polling place, or vote center.
Returning ballots on or before Election Day
Before the election, seven vote centers will be open countywide starting Oct. 24, Hudson said, and another 25 will open on Oct. 31. Those centers will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Then, on Election Day, all 32 of these centers will remain open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
“Ballots returned by mail must be postmarked on or before Election Day,” she wrote. “However, since the USPS can no longer guarantee a postmark on the same day a ballot is placed into a mailbox, we recommend that voters return their ballots early, if they choose to return them by mail.”
Official ballot drop boxes are another option for vote-by-mail voters, with 23 boxes available across the county from Oct. 6 through 8 p.m. on Nov. 3, Hudson said.
The location of vote centers and drop boxes, as well as an interactive map, will be posted online at socovotes.com “soon,” Hudson said. The website also includes more information on the measures and candidates slated for the upcoming ballot.
Local election leaders
At the county level, Registrar of Voters Evelyn Mendez oversees the election. In Petaluma, the election is supervised by City Clerk Caitlin Corley.
“My primary role in elections is to assist candidates in meeting their legal responsibilities before, during, and after an election – filing the required candidacy documents, campaign disclosure documents, statements of economic interest, etc.,” Corley wrote to Petaluma Voice in an email.
“And I coordinate with the county on the administrative side of things: the resolution calling the election, coordinating any ballot measures, resolution accepting the certified results, etc.”
Jennifer Sawhney is a reporter and co-founder of Petaluma Voice. She can be reached at jsawhney@petalumavoice.org.
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