Are you election ready? Review our voter info and recommendations.

Special General Election for 18th Assembly District on 31 Sep

A special election for Assembly District (AD) 18 is being held to fill the vacancy resulting from the resignation of Assembly-Member Rob Bonta. The primary was held on 29 June. No candidate received a majority of votes (50 percent + 1) so a runoff between the top two finishers, Mia Bonta and Janani Ramachandran, will take place on 31 August 2021. See the Special Primary Election for Assembly District 18 official results.

Wondering who to vote for? The LWV of Oakland will host an online candidate forum on 9 August at 7pm: Register to attend the League's AD-18 Runoff Candidate Forum.

AD 18 includes most of Oakland, along with the cities of Alameda and San Leandro. Unsure if you live in AD 18? Enter your address at FindYourRep.Legislature.CA.gov.

Important Upcoming Election Dates for AD-18 General Election​
  • 02 Aug: First day of mailing Vote by Mail Ballots and Early Voting.
  • 16 Aug: Last day to register to vote. Miss the deadline? Complete a conditional voter registration.
  • 24 Aug: Last day to request a Vote by Mail Ballot.
  • 26 Aug: Mail ballot by this day to ensure it is processed in time.
  • 31 Aug: Election Day.
  • 07 Sep: Date your ballot must be received by to be counted.

California Gubernatorial Recall Election on 14 Sep

Info about the 2021 California Governor Recall
Recall ballots have two parts. First, voters may vote "yes" or "no" to the question of whether to remove the Governor from office. Second, voters may select a replacement candidate. If more than 50% vote "yes" to remove the Governor, the votes for successor candidates are counted. (There will be no initiatives or referenda on the recall ballot.)

Every active registered voter in California will be mailed a vote-by-mail ballot, an Official State Voter Information Guide, and a county voter information guide. On 21 July, the California Secretary of State issued this certified list of 46 candidates for the 2021 California Governor Recall ballot. 

After Election Day: if a majority vote "yes" to remove the Governor, the recall is successful. The replacement candidate who gets the most votes is elected for the unexpired term of office. On the 38th day after the election (22 Oct 2021), if the recall is successful, the Secretary of State will certify the results and the new Governor will take the oath of office and assume the position until 2 January 2023.

Visit sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/2021-ca-gov-recall to learn more, such as:
  • What is a recall and what is the process?
  • What is the cost of a gubernatorial recall election?
  • Who can run as a replacement candidate?
  • What are the requirements to file as a replacement candidate?
  • Will the ballot list candidates' political party preference and occupation?
  • Do campaign contribution laws apply to recall elections?

Important Upcoming Election Dates for California Governor Recall​
  • 16 Aug: First day of mailing Vote by Mail Ballots and Early Voting.
  • 30 Aug: Last day to register to vote. Miss the deadline? Complete a conditional voter registration.
  • 07 Sep: Last day to request a Vote by Mail Ballot.
  • 09 Sep: Mail ballot by this day to ensure it is processed in time.
  • 14 Sep: Election Day.
  • 21 Sep: Date your ballot must be received by to be counted.
Due to COVID-19, all Registered Voters will receive a Vote by Mail Ballot. Return your ballot using any of these methods.
​
  • By mail, no postage required. Ballot must be postmarked on/before Election Day and received by the Registrar of Voters by 7 Sep for the AD-18 Election, and 9 Sep for the CA Governor Recall Election. Mail your ballot by five days before Election Day to ensure it is received in time to be processed!
    ​
  • At any 24-hour drop box or at a ballot drop stop tour by 8pm on Election Day.

  • At any accessible voting location (AVL). You can drop off your ballot, replace a damaged/lost Vote by Mail Ballot or vote early in-person if you need assistance at an AVL. Early voting at AVLs will begin four days prior to Election Day at 9am: 28 Aug for the AD-18 Election, and 11 Sep for the CA Governor Recall Election.   

  • At any AVL (aka polling place), which will be open for in-person voting on Election Day from 7am to 8pm. 

​Get more details about this election at acvote.org. Track your Vote by Mail ballot with Ballot Trax -- sign up at acvote.ballottrax.net to get email/text notifications. You may also contact the Alameda County Registrar of Voters' (ROV) Office at (510) 272-6973 for questions about this election/your ballot.

Are You Registered to Vote?

 

Make Sure Your Ballot/Vote is Counted!

Here's how:
  • Follow the directions that come with your ballot. In general, do not choose more candidates than allowed for a race, and ensure that you mark your ballot correctly.  
  • If you do make a mistake marking your ballot, call your Registrar of Voters or visit acvote.org/willcall for a replacement. Alameda County voters may call their ROV at (510) 267-8683.
  • Complete both sides of a two-sided ballot card, and place your ballot in the return envelope provided.
  • Remember to sign, date, and write your address on the return envelope.
  • To authorize another person to return your ballot, fill out the appropriate section on the return envelope.
  • Return your ballot early OR return your un-voted ballot to election officials at an Alameda County accessible voting location, and vote a regular ballot.
  • No postage is required to return your ballot. It will be delivered and treated as first class mail.  ​ ​

Prepare for Election Day

​​It can be hard for busy citizens to keep up with candidates and issues during election cycles. Here you can review LWV of Alameda's voter information and recommendations to help you get election ready. See our California Voter FAQs & How to Vote Section and our California Voter Resources Section below. 
The best and easiest way to prepare yourself for Election Day is the Easy Voter Guide from the League of Women Voters. Use it to review the process of voting, what you should know, and what you will be voting on. This is a critical voting year, so you will want to be prepared to register (if you have not yet registered, or if you have moved or changed your name) and vote. The guide is very informative and concise, and is published in multiple languages.

Another way to prepare yourself for Election Day is to visit the Voter's Edge California website, where you can find your assigned polling place, and see who and what is on your ballot, and more.
If you do not find an answer here to your voting or election question here, please contact us at LWV of Alameda. We are here to help you be a California voter. Please note the information presented is, in some cases, specifically for Alameda County voters.

California Voter FAQs
​& How to Vote Steps

Ways to Vote
Make a plan now on how you will cast your vote.
​
  1. Decide if you need to vote early: either in-person, by mail, or absentee.​
  2. If you do vote by mail, check your ballot status.
  3. If you will vote on Election Day, find your polling place. 

California Voter Resources

Alameda County
​Registrar of Voters
The Alameda County Registrar of Voters (ROV) is the county elections office for Alameda County. On their website, Alameda County voters can apply to vote by mail, find early voting hours at the ROV, update their voter profile, see election results, and more.

Alameda County voters with disabilities can find remote accessible vote by mail ballot delivery, and other options to ensure they can vote. 

The Alameda County ROV is located at 1225 Fallon Street, Room G-1, Oakland CA.​

Easy Voter Guide
The Easy Voter Guide is a newsprint pamphlet for new voters and busy voters. Its aim is to make nonpartisan information about the ballot accessible to as many Californians as possible. Find helpful information about ballot measures, propositions and candidates in this guide. 

It is distributed by the League of Women Voters of Alameda to 34 locations in Alameda, including libraries, schools, churches, and senior centers.

The California Easy Voter Guide (for the 3 November 2020 Elections) is available for download in multiple languages.

Secretary of State
Are you registered to vote? Do you want to change your party, your address, or your name? Visit the California Secretary of State's website on Elections & Voting to learn about how to register to vote, deadlines, requirements, political parties, voting overseas, and more.

Voter's Edge
Like Smart Voter did in the past, Voter's Edge California provides unbiased, in-depth voting information on candidates and ballot measures. Additionally, you can enter your address to find your assigned polling place.

​It also has campaign funding info and a high quality Spanish translation to State and Federal races. Additionally, you can find all of your trusted League Voter Service publications on Voter's Edge California, including our Pros & Cons and Easy Voter Guide.

Youth Voter Guide
This guide is meant for Californians aged 16 or 17 years of age. You can pre-register to vote online, and be automatically registered to vote in your first election at age 18. 
​
  1. Review the Our Time is Now video on pre-registering to vote.
  2. Then pre-register to vote in California online.
  3. Get your specific ballot and see data on candidates at Voter's Edge.
  4. Learn about election issues with our Easy Voter Guide.
  5. See a short video on the California Voter Bill of Rights.
  6. Invite your friends and family to vote.

Vote Safe California & Make Sure Your Ballot Counts!