• County Voter Information Guide
• Assistance at the Polls
• Marking Your Ballot
• Voting

The County Voter Information Guide produced by the Registrar of Voters office contains information on local measures and candidates running to represent local districts. The Secretary of State publishes a Voter Information Guide that includes information on statewide ballot propositions and candidates running for statewide or nationwide office (e.g. Governor or President, respectively).

If you are registered to vote, you will be mailed a County Voter Information Guide approximately three weeks prior to an election. Because mailing lists are created from current registered voter lists, you should confirm you are registered by calling the Registrar of Voters office or checking the Registered Voter Lookup to ensure you will be included in a County Voter Information Guide mailing.

Important: the registration deadline is 15 days before an election; do not wait to receive a County Voter Information Guide in the mail as a way to verify you are registered. If you wait, you could discover you are not registered and have missed the deadline to register for an upcoming election. 

The County Voter Information Guide Contains:

• The date of the election
• A copy of the ballot you will receive at the polling place (or in the mail if you are a Vote by Mail Voter)
• Information about local candidates and measures
• The location of your polling place for an election, if you are not a permanent Vote by Mail voter
• Notification of whether or not your polling place location is accessible to disabled voters
• A Vote by Mail ballot application

Tip: Mark your choices in the County Voter Information Guide before you go to the polls, and use it as a guide when you vote your official ballot.

Note: If you need assistance marking your official ballot, California law permits up to two people of your choice to assist you (can not be your employer, union representative, or an agent of your employer or union).

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Did You Know? California law allows you to bring up to 2 individuals of your choice with you to the polls to assist you. However, they may not be your employer or an agent of your union.

Otra Asistencia

¿Sabía que la ley de California le permite llevar hasta 2 personas de su elección para ayudarle en los lugares de votación? Sin embargo, no pueden ser ni su empleador ni un representante de su sindicato.

ជំនួយបផ្បេងបទៀត

បតអ្ើកនដ្ងឹបទ? ច្ាបរដ្ California អ្នុញ្ញាតឱបយអ្កយកបុគលរ តដ្ល 2 កតារជបម្រើសរបស់អ្នកជារួយអ្នកបៅកដនលងប ោះបនោតបដ្របបីជយអ្នក។ ប ោះជាយា៉ាង្កបោយ ពួកបគអាច្រិនដរនជានបយាជក ឬជាភាោកងារននស ជីពរបស់អ្នក។

IBANG TULONG

Alam mo ba? Ang batas ng California ay nagpapahintulot sa iyo na magsama sa mga botohan ng hanggang 2 taong pinili mo upang tulungan ka. Gayunman, sila ay hindi maaaring ang iyong pinagtatrabahuhan o isang ahente ng iyong unyon.

HỖ TRỢ KHÁC

Quý vị có đã biết? Luật California cho phép quý vị dẫn theo tối đa 2 người mà quý vị chọn đến nơi bỏ phiếu để hỗ trợ quý vị. Tuy nhiên, họ không thể là chủ hãng của quý vị hoặc người đại diện cho nghiệp đoàn của quý vị.

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It is important to know how to properly mark your ballot. Ballot counting machines "see" the marks you make and record your votes.

• If you vote at the polls, use the pen provided by poll workers
• If you vote by mail, you may use a blue or black pen - no other colored ink or pencil!

Carefully read your ballot, as it will tell you how many votes you may cast for each contest.

Important: Do not sign or initial the ballot(s), make any stray marks, or attempt to erase a vote if you make a mistake, as your ballot may then need to be duplicated in order to count.

Overvotes

Marking more voting spaces than allowed is called an "overvote," and none of your votes for that contest will be counted.

Undervotes

If you mark fewer voting spaces than allowed, it is an "undervote," and all votes for that contest will be counted. You are not required to vote on every contest on your ballot.

Voting for Write-in Candidates

Voters may decide to vote for someone who does not appear on the ballot by writing that candidate's name in the space provided for a particular contest.

There are specific requirements that a candidate must satisfy to become qualified and thus eligible to receive votes.

Note: Votes for write-in candidates will be counted only if the person is a qualified write-in candidate.

A list of qualified write-in candidates is provided at every polling place.

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More Than 15 Days Before the Election

If you moved within Sonoma County more than 15 days before the election:

Call the Registrar of Voters office to determine if you are eligible to vote at either the Registrar of Voters office or the assigned polling place for your new address.

Less Than 15 Days Before the Election

If you moved within Sonoma County less than 15 days before the election:

It is legal, in this situation only, to vote at either your new polling place, or the polling place assigned to your former address.

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Voting at a Polling Place

You may vote at the polling place listed on your County Voter Information Guide between the hours of 7:00 AM and 8:00 PM on Election Day. Polling place locations may change from one election to another, so always confirm the location of your assigned polling place by checking your County Voter Information Guide or by using your Polling Place lookup. Most polling places experience "rush" hours on Election Day in the early morning and late afternoon hours, so allow plenty of time if you plan to vote at the polls during these hours.

It is important that you go to your assigned polling place so that you receive the correct ballot and have an opportunity to vote on all contests for which you are eligible to vote. Polling places have unique ballots based on the various districts present in a given geographical area. Sonoma County has nearly 200 school, fire, hospital, and other special districts in addition to city, state legislative and congressional districts, which means that not all ballots contain the same contests. If you attempt to vote at a polling place other than the location listed on your County Voter Information Guide, your name will not appear on the roster of registered voters, and you will be given a provisional ballot.

Voting by Mail

If you are not able to vote at your polling place on Election Day, or simply prefer the convenience of voting by mail, you may apply for a Vote by Mail ballot.

• Hand-delivered Vote by Mail ballots must be returned to the Registrar of Voters office or any polling place in Sonoma County no later than 8:00 PM on Election Day.
• Ballots returned by mail must be postmarked before or on Election Day and delivered to the Registrar of Voters office via USPS or a bona fide private mail delivery company no later than three days after Election Day.

Important: Do not forget to sign and date the identification envelope so your ballot can count.

Read more about Vote by Mail

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