<p>Sonoma County residents who want to vote at the polls in Sept. 14 election need to bring mailed ballot</p><p> </p>

The Sonoma County Registrar of Voters Office is alerting voters planning to vote at their assigned polling place in the Sept. 14, California Gubernatorial Recall Election, that they will need to bring along the ballot they received in the mail in order to exchange it for an official polling place ballot. If they do not, they will be offered a provisional ballot, which will be reviewed by the Registrar of Voters Office after Election Day to ensure that the voter has not already returned their vote-by-mail ballot.  

Due to a new state law (SB 29) and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, every active, registered voter is being mailed a ballot this election, regardless of whether they are signed up to vote that way.

Voters also have the option of voting in person at the Registrar of Voters Office during normal business hours (excluding county holidays) between now and the closing of the polls at 8 p.m. on Election Day.

The Registrar of Voters Office is also reminding voters that voting by mail is safe and convenient, and that vote-by-mail ballots do not have to be returned by mail. 

“We have 20 secure ballot drop boxes throughout the county that are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week until 8 p.m. on Election Day,“ said Sonoma County Registrar of Voters Deva Marie Proto. “Depositing your ballot at an official drop box is very safe. Not only is each drop box physically secure, but we have strict chain of custody procedures in place requiring two ballot retrievers to unlock, count, document and secure the ballots from each drop box on the team’s route.”

Vote-by-mail ballots may also be returned to any polling place on Election Day between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. A list of all drop boxes and polling places is available at sonomacounty.ca.gov/where-to-vote.

For questions, call (707) 565-6800, email rov-info@sonoma-county.org, or visit the Registrar of Voters Office in person at 435 Fiscal Drive, Santa Rosa, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (excluding holidays).