Ballots and Voter Guides for the November election are being sent out to Central Coast voters and, eventually, to every Californian. After voting and signing their ballots, voters can return them by mail or in person at any drop box or voting location in the state.
People can also vote in-person at a polling place on election day, but they must bring their mail-in ballots with them.
Monterey County Registrar of Voters Gina Martinez says the ballots come with a cover page that contains important information and frequently asked questions. It may contain personal messages for the voter, too.
“For example,” says Martinez, “if you’re a first time voter and you fail(ed) to provide identification on your registration card, we are going to have a note included on this ballot cover page saying, ‘Voter, we need ID from you.’”
The cover page also includes a list of ballot return boxes, the locations of early and in-person voting, and the voter’s “I voted” sticker.
Ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 5 and received at the elections office by Nov. 12 in order to be accepted.
There is still time to register to vote, the first deadline is Oct. 21. After that, registrations will be provisional pending confirmation of voter qualifications. In order to register, a person must be a resident of the United States and California, must be 18 years old on or before Nov. 5, cannot be serving a state or federal prison term for a felony, and may not be currently found incompetent to vote by a court.
Voters who are not sure whether they are registered can check their registration status on the California Secretary of State’s website.
People can follow their ballots through the system and know when it has been counted by signing up for “Where’s my ballot.”
Call the local elections office with questions or for more information.
Monterey County 831-796-1499
Santa Cruz County 831-454-2060
San Benito County 831-636-4016
“We are here to assist you,” says Martinez, “we have actual people on our phone lines answering our phones.”
KAZU will have additional election coverage throughout the month leading to the general election.
