This year, the general election will take place on Tuesday, November 8th. Starting October 10th, ballots will be mailed to every California voter with an active registration status. Voters will then have the option to vote by returning their mailed ballot or casting their vote in person.

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What’s a general election and what’s at stake?

The November 8th election is a general election. The top two vote-getters from California’s June primary elections, regardless of party affiliation, will appear on your November ballot. This means it is possible for two candidates of the same party to be running for the same office. 

Your November ballot will include seven ballot propositions, as well as candidates for local office (e.g. City Council and County Board of Supervisors), the California Legislature (State Assembly and State Senate), statewide office, and U.S. Congress.

The upcoming election is your chance to decide who will represent your interests at the federal, state, and local levels of government and where you stand on key state and community issues.  These elected officials influence policies, programs and the budget — and their leadership and decisions will shape California for years to come.

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*If you miss the October 24th voter registration deadline, you still can vote! You will just need to visit your county elections office, a vote center or polling station to get the materials necessary to participate in same day voter registration and cast a provisional ballot, on or before Election Day. A provisional ballot still counts – it just means that an official has to verify that you are eligible to vote and your registration was successful before the ballot is counted.

**Click here to find out if you live in a VCA county.

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Click here to find out if you live in a VCA county.

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Voting Options

• Mail in ballots: every registered voter will be sent a ballot in the mail by October 10th  (however it may take a few days to arrive). You may return your voted ballot by:

1. 1. Mailing it to your county elections office, postmarked on or before election day, November 8th. 
   2. Returning it in person to a polling place or your county elections office no later than 8 p.m. on election day.
   3. Dropping your ballot into one of your county’s ballot drop boxes no later than 8 p.m. on election day.
   4. Authorizing someone to return the ballot on your behalf via one of the above methods. Anyone you trust may return your ballot for you. In order for your ballot to be counted, you must fill out the authorization section found on the outside of your ballot envelope.

• In person: In-person voting locations will offer voter registration, replacement ballots, accessible voting machines, and language assistance to those who need it.
  • Early voting: Cast your ballot at vote center locations starting October 29th  
  • Election Day: Vote on November 8th

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Helpful Resources

Registration

• Register to vote 

• Voter Status Same Day Registration

Ballot Tracking

• Where is my ballot

Where to Vote

• Early voting locations 

• Voting location lookup

• Contact your election office 

Voter Rights

• Voter Bill of Rights in English & other languages

• Voting options for people with disabilities 

• Time off to vote 

Poll worker Information

• Sign up to be a poll worker 

• How to be a poll worker

Other

• Election Myths Busted

Resources are for educational purposes and are not endorsed by NextGen. For more information about our past work and current policy priorities, please contact info@nextgenpolicy.org.

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