In-person voting opened in Sonoma County on Saturday. As folks head in to fill out their ballots, or put them in the mail, we’ve gathered some last-minute questions and answers regarding how to vote, as well as what happens to ballots cast in the days leading up to the election.
According to the Sonoma County Registrar of Voters, the county has seen “unprecedented turnout” when it comes to people voting by mail. As of Oct. 29, more than 167,000 ballots have been received — representing more than 55% of registered voters.
Still have your ballot?
According to the county, voters who have outstanding vote-by-mail ballots may return them by sending them back in the mail, no postage required or depositing them at any of the 20 secure, 24/7 ballot drop boxes available throughout the county. Vote-by-mail ballots also may be taken to any of the 30 county in-person voting locations.
Vote-by- mail ballots returned in the mail must be postmarked on or before Election Day and, for the Nov. 3 election, received at the Registrar of Voters Office by Nov. 20, in order to be counted. Ballots returned to ballot drop boxes or in-person voting locations must be in by 8 p.m. on Election Day in order to be counted.
The 30 in-person voting locations throughout the county are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Nov. 3 (Election Day). For a complete list and map of all in-person voting locations, visit https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/where-to-vote/
Unlike prior elections, voters are no longer assigned to a specific polling place and may vote at any of the 30 voting locations.
When will your vote be counted?
While folks can still vote in person or mail in their ballots, the only mail-in ballots guaranteed to be counted in election night results are ones that were turned in by Oct. 29.
Per the Registrar of Voters website, ballots turned in after Oct. 29 may be processed before Election Day, but it isn’t guaranteeing that they will be. Vote-by-mail ballots take time to process, so ballots received by the office on Election Day also won’t be counted until after the election.
When will results be finalized?
While election results will start coming out after 8 p.m. on Election Day, the deadline for the county to certify election results is Dec. 3. The last day for it to receive vote-by-mail ballots that have been postmarked no later than Nov. 3 is Nov. 20.
