Election Day is almost here — here’s how to cast your vote in Sacramento County
If you live in Sacramento County, and you intend to vote in this year’s presidential primary, for races in the U.S. congress or state legislature, or on any local or statewide ballot measures, the opportunity is fast approaching.
If you haven’t voted since the 2016 presidential election, there are some significant changes to be aware of. The passage of the Voter’s Choice Act has made Sacramento one of California’s first counties to institute new rules designed to make voting more convenient. You probably knew you could mail in a ballot. But did you know you have now an 11-day window to drop one off in person?
Here’s what you need to know about the process of voting in Sacramento County for the March 3 primary.
When is the deadline to register to vote?
The deadline for voter registration is Feb. 18, which is 15 calendar days ahead of Election Day.
If you miss that deadline, you can still vote under California’s conditional voter registration law, sometimes known as same-day voter registration.
To do so, you will need to go to one of Sacramento’s vote centers and fill out a voter registration form. You will then be given a ballot, which will be placed into a conditional voter registration ballot, and will not be counted until your eligibility to vote is verified.
How do I register to vote?
Voter registration can be done online at registertovote.ca.gov. You will need your California driver license or state-issued ID number, the last four digits of your social security number and your date of birth.
If you’re not sure whether you’re already registered, you can check on the California Secretary of State website, www.voterstatus.sos.ca.gov.
What if I want a crossover ballot?
If you’re not currently registered with a political party, and you want to vote for president this year — or if you intend to vote for a candidate in a party other than the one you are registered with — you’ll want to read the rules carefully.
As Sacramento County’s elections webpage explains, three political parties allow “crossover” voting in the presidential election: the Democratic, American Independent and Libertarian parties.
This means that if you are registered as a “no party preference” voter, you can cast a vote for a presidential candidate from any of those three parties. But in order to do so, you will need to request a crossover ballot, which can be done through mail-in application, via email at vbm@saccounty.net or by phone at 916-875-6155.
If, though, you wish to vote for a presidential candidate from the Republican, Green or Peace and Freedom parties, you will need to register with one of those respective parties to receive a ballot containing that party’s presidential candidates. In other words, if you are a registered Democrat or are registered as no party preference, and you wish to cast a vote for a Republican candidate, you would need to re-register as a Republican.
No party preference voters who do not re-register or do not request a crossover ballot will receive a nonpartisan ballot, which does not include presidential candidates.
How to cast your vote before Election Day
Currently registered voters in Sacramento County will begin receiving their ballots via mail 29 days before the election. The math says that’s next Monday, Feb. 3.
If you want to take care of casting your vote before March 3, you can either mail in your ballot, drop it off at a Sacramento County ballot drop box or visit a voting center on March 3, or in the 10 days leading up to Election Day, Feb. 22 to March 2.
Once you fill out your ballot, place it in the pink return envelope and remember to sign that envelope and seal it. If you’re voting by mail, be sure that your ballot is postmarked on or before Election Day.
Otherwise, simply drop your ballot off at a drop box location or vote center. There are plenty to choose from.
Sacramento County will open dozens of voting centers this election year. Eighteen of them will open Feb. 22 and stay open through Election Day, and 66 more will open Feb. 29 through Election Day. On top of those, 58 drop boxes throughout the county will be available for your mail-in ballots starting Feb. 3, though not all of them are open every day. Many are closed Feb. 17, which is Presidents Day.
For a full list of drop boxes and vote centers, including addresses and hours of operation, visit www.elections.saccounty.net/VoteCenters/Pages/locations.aspx.
How to cast your vote on Election Day
All of the above options are available to drop off your ballot on March 3, but if you’d prefer to do it the old fashion way, you can also visit one of those 84 voting centers throughout the county to vote in person.
All of those vote centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, and you will be able to cast your vote as long as you are in line by 8 p.m.
Votes are then counted at the main elections office, located at 7000 65th St. in south Sacramento
Accessible voting service
Voters with disabilities can use the accessible vote by mail system, which lets voters “allows download and mark their correct ballot privately and independently using their own assistive technology, print their marked ballot, and mail it to the Elections Office to be counted.
For more information or help obtaining the correct ballot, voters can email vbm@saccounty.net or call 916-875-6155 for assistance with the accessible vote by mail system.
This story was originally published February 3, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
