Hi Folks,
Well it is finally here, Election Day! Tomorrow everyone who is going to vote and hasn't done so already will cast ballots across California and the nation. This edition of CVF-News shares last-minute voting tips, a reminder about Election Hero Day, a new election song, and where to find election results starting Tuesday night.
This has been a challenging election for all the people involved in election administration - Secretaries of State across the country, county election officials, their staff, temporary workers and poll workers, many who have been subjected to ongoing criticism and distrust for years now since the 2020 election. As CalMatters recently reported, half of Shasta County's elections staff has left their jobs due to the harsh scrutiny of election observers questioning their integrity.
Today is Election Hero Day and a good reminder to say thank you to the people who make our elections happen. I celebrated by visiting my Sacramento County Elections office this morning to deliver boxes of Marie's Donuts and a thank-you note. Check out this KQED story featuring many Bay Area election officials and poll workers explaining all they do to make our elections safe, secure and accessible. #ThankYouElectionHeroes!
Another way to celebrate this election is with a song! CVF has over the years produced a number of election songs and music videos, and while we don't have a video to share, I did write a 2024 election song, called "Democracy Isle" that can be sung to the tune of "Gilligan's Island". I hope you will check it out and enjoy this "Schoolhouse Rock"-inspired tune designed to help inform people about the election process.
-- Kim Alexander, President & Founder
California Voter Foundation
Last-minute Voting Tips
Every California voter can vote in person at a voting site in their county on Election Day. Polling places and vote centers are open from 7 am - 8 pm. External drop boxes are open until 8 pm, interior boxes may close when the building where the box is located closes. Ballots can be mailed on Election Day but voters should confirm their ballot is postmarked on or before Election Day to ensure it gets counted - better to drop it off at a voting site or return to an official drop box if you can.
Visit CVF's voter guide to access nonpartisan election information and CVF's Directory of County Election Offices to find the web site, contact information and locations for voting sites and drop boxes in all 58 counties. The Secretary of State also provides an online tool to help voters find out where they can vote.
Californians who are not registered or moved since they last registered can still complete a voter registration form at any voting location in their county and fill out a ballot on Election Day. Once election officials confirm same-day registering voters did not vote anywhere else in the state, their ballots will be counted.
Vote-by-mail voters can check the status of their ballot at wheresmyballot.sos.ca.gov.
Monitoring Election Results
Unofficial California election results will begin to be available after polls close at 8 pm on Election Night November 5th on the Secretary of State's web site, at electionresults.sos.ca.gov.
Results for local contests will be accessible from county election office web sites. In addition, CVF will be monitoring a number of competitive California congressional races that we anticipate may take several days or weeks to determine the winner if the results are close. Visit CVF's Close Count Transparency Project to see day-by-day how many ballots have been counted, how many ballots remain to be counted, and the margin of difference between the two candidates. See CVF's Nov. 1 news release for more details about this new project. Counties have 30 days to tabulate ballots and certify results.
About the California Voter Foundation
The California Voter Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working through research, oversight, outreach and demonstration projects to improve the election process so that it better serves the needs and interests of voters. CVF-News is a free, electronic newsletter featuring news and updates about the California Voter Foundation's projects and activities.