November 5 General Election: Key Dates & Resources
This year, the general election will take place on Tuesday, November 5th. Starting October 7th, ballots will be mailed to every California voter with an active registration status. Voters will then have the option to vote by mailing in their ballot or casting their vote in person.
What’s a general election and what’s at stake?
The general election will take place on November 5th. The top two vote-getters from California’s March 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 ten 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, U.S. Congress, and President.
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. Our elected officials influence policies, programs and the budget — and their leadership and decisions will shape California for years to come.
*If you miss the October 21st voter registration deadline, you still can vote! On or before Election Day, 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. 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.
Click here to find out if you live in a VCA county.
Voting Options
- Mail-in ballots: every registered voter will be sent a ballot in the mail by October 7th (however it may take a few days to arrive). You may return your voted ballot by:
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- Mailing it to your county elections office, postmarked on or before Election Day, November 5th.
- Dropping it off at a polling place, your county elections office or an official drop box no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day.
- 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 26th
- Election Day: Vote on November 5th
Helpful Resources
Registration
Ballot Tracking
Where to Vote
Voter Rights
Poll Worker Information
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.