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"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was reported for K Onda KQED, a monthly newsletter focused on the Bay Area’s Latinx community. \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/newsletters/k-onda\">\u003cem>Click here to subscribe.\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/governor-2026\">upcoming gubernatorial election\u003c/a> in California has been characterized as “quiet” and “sleepy” because the frontrunner, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/xavier-becerra\">Xavier Becerra\u003c/a>, has a very high chance of winning. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But for Latines, this election is slated to be one of the most historic and monumental elections ever: The largest state in the nation with the largest Latine population is about to elect a Latino governor for the first time. Becerra’s election is a big deal. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Having someone in this highest office signals a potential turning point, a potential watershed moment, for which the future will tell whether this is a one-time thing or whether this opens the door for many more folks,” said G. Cristina Mora, sociology professor and co-director of the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. “The historical significance, the symbolism of it is incredibly important.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The likelihood that Becerra will become the next governor of California comes at a time when Latines have made gains in the state’s political landscape, but also when the state faces major challenges — from standing up to President Donald Trump’s attacks, to more people struggling with the rising cost of living and increased risks of wildfires. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/093026-Becerra-Hilton-Debate-CNN-CM-01.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102304\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/093026-Becerra-Hilton-Debate-CNN-CM-01.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/093026-Becerra-Hilton-Debate-CNN-CM-01-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/093026-Becerra-Hilton-Debate-CNN-CM-01-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From left, gubernatorial candidates Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton, during CNN’s California Gubernatorial Debate at CNN’s studio in Burbank on Sept. 30, 2026. The debate was moderated by CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. (Grace Widyatmadja/CNN)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minority_governors_and_lieutenant_governors_in_the_United_States\">In America’s history,\u003c/a> only 11 Latines have served as governor — ever. There have been three Black and Asian governors each, and women have only served as governor 44 times. Those numbers are quite paltry when considering that more than 2,300 white men have served as governor since our nation was founded. (Romualdo Pacheco served as governor of California for less than a year in 1875, but was elevated from lieutenant governor to finish out a term and was not elected.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The 68-year-old Becerra came into the race with more than three decades of experience, serving in the California State Assembly, Congress, as California’s attorney general, and as the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services under the Biden Administration.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He highlights his upbringing as a working-class child of Mexican immigrants who forged a reputation in politics as a policy nerd, Mora said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Should the voters of California elect Xavier Becerra, he would be the first Latino governor in over a century — that within itself is monumental,” said Christian Arana, vice president of civic power and policy with the San Francisco-based Latino Community Foundation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Latinos, Arana said, making up 40% of California’s population, comprise the second largest voting block in the state with nearly 9 million eligible voters — and contribute more than a trillion dollars to the state’s GDP. And, let’s not forget that half of the children in California are Latine. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“To have somebody potentially look like you and also share the experiences that you might have is pretty significant,” Arana told me. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Becerra’s ascent to frontrunner seemed unlikely before he won the June primary, beating out a crowded field of Democratic candidates. Former East Bay Rep. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/eric-swalwell\">Eric Swalwell\u003c/a> was considered the top contender, but he \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079624/eric-swalwell-suspends-ca-gubernatorial-campaign\">suspended his campaign\u003c/a> in April amid allegations of sexual assault. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Many of Swalwell’s supporters moved to line up behind Becerra, propelling him from a long shot into a position to make history.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Imagine the positive impact that will have on the identities and aspirations of Latino/a kids throughout the State of California,” Hayward Mayor Mark Salinas \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/salinasforhayward/posts/the-last-mexican-american-governor-of-california-was-romualdo-pacheco-1875-he-wa/10235440316403368/\">wrote\u003c/a> in an April Facebook post. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1416\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Monique-Limon-Getty-9a92e895.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104006\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Monique-Limon-Getty-9a92e895.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Monique-Limon-Getty-9a92e895-160x113.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Monique-Limon-Getty-9a92e895-1536x1087.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. Monique Limón listens during an informational hearing by the Senate Transportation Subcommittee on LOSSAN Rail Corridor Resiliency in San Clemente, California, on Monday, Dec. 11, 2023. LOSSAN is the Los Angeles-San Luis Obispo-San Diego rail corridor. (Paul Bersebach/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Becerra’s rise happens at a time when three other Latines currently hold prominent roles: Monique Limón serves as the Senate President pro Tempore, Robert Rivas is speaker of the state Assembly and Alex Padilla serves as U.S. senator. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That doesn’t necessarily mean that Latinos have collectively arrived in state politics, said Sonja Díaz, a civil rights attorney, policy adviser and political expert. But it does show that we are not sitting on the sidelines.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On her Substack, “Unseen Fortitude,” Díaz wrote, “Representation matters. But representation without any accountability for doing (hacer) and delivering (cumplir) is merely symbolism. Democracies need more than symbolism, and Latino leaders are tired of being calm, quiet and told to wait.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the 1990s, California voters passed Proposition 187, a law that would have denied public services to undocumented immigrants.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It was ultimately ruled unconstitutional and never implemented, but that experience sparked a surge of Latino participation in politics in California, Díaz said. Still, the Democratic Party has depended on Latino voters in California without doing enough to elevate Latino candidates. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For Becerra to become the likely winner is “a historical feat because of the willful neglect of both major parties to integrate Latino candidates and Latino interest in places like California,” Díaz told me. “It is because of the infrastructure and the systemic decision-making that Latino leaders made in the ’80s and ’90s, we are where we are today. And, I think that that is huge.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Political parties and candidates need to do a better job engaging with Latino voters, Arana said. A recent \u003ca href=\"https://latinocf.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Topline-LCF-California-and-Texas-Survey-2026.pdf\">LCF survey\u003c/a> of Latino voters in California found that 40% had not been contacted by any candidate or party for the upcoming election.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the same time, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/race-and-voting-in-california/\">Latine voters in California\u003c/a> tend to have lower turnout than other groups — 47% of Latinos are considered likely voters compared with 54% of Asian Americans, 54% of African Americans and 65% of whites, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Arana said many voters don’t show up at the polls because they don’t feel like their vote will make a difference or that politicians care about them. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The three experts I talked to all agreed that for Becerra to not just represent Latinos, but actually deliver results, he needs to address issues that affect Californians of all backgrounds — namely the lack of affordability and rising cost of living, but also concerns about climate change and the threat of AI eliminating jobs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Becerra has been criticized for not making specific promises, but has talked about the need to build more housing, make healthcare more accessible, reduce homelessness, prepare for natural disasters and fight the current presidential administration that has been hostile toward California and immigrant communities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/05/RS56133_IMG_4156-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11914686\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/05/RS56133_IMG_4156-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/05/RS56133_IMG_4156-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/05/RS56133_IMG_4156-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/05/RS56133_IMG_4156-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/05/RS56133_IMG_4156-qut-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Christian Arana, vice president of policy at the Latino Community Foundation, on Political Breakdown. (Guy Marzorati/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There is an expectation that he is going to deliver, right? Because he’s one of us,” Arana said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“At the end of the day, the governor of California has to operate in a system. He’s one of many actors in California. The other thing to consider is the final two years of the Trump presidency. We have yet to see what else may be coming down the pipeline.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California governors propose a state budget, Díaz said, which is the principal way to influence policy and programs that can directly impact the cost of living and quality of life issues that many Latinos care about.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There needs to be rebudgeting that ensures that the material conditions, the social, economic and cultural material conditions of households on the ground are improved,” she said. “There’s a myriad of things where the next governor can and will make a difference.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But for Latines, this election is slated to be one of the most historic and monumental elections ever: The largest state in the nation with the largest Latine population is about to elect a Latino governor for the first time. Becerra’s election is a big deal. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Having someone in this highest office signals a potential turning point, a potential watershed moment, for which the future will tell whether this is a one-time thing or whether this opens the door for many more folks,” said G. Cristina Mora, sociology professor and co-director of the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. “The historical significance, the symbolism of it is incredibly important.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Having someone in this highest office signals a potential turning point, a potential watershed moment, for which the future will tell whether this is a one-time thing or whether this opens the door for many more folks,” said G. Cristina Mora, sociology professor and co-director of the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. “The historical significance, the symbolism of it is incredibly important.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The likelihood that Becerra will become the next governor of California comes at a time when Latines have made gains in the state’s political landscape, but also when the state faces major challenges — from standing up to President Donald Trump’s attacks, to more people struggling with the rising cost of living and increased risks of wildfires. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The likelihood that Becerra will become the next governor of California comes at a time when Latines have made gains in the state’s political landscape, but also when the state faces major challenges — from standing up to President Donald Trump’s attacks, to more people struggling with the rising cost of living and increased risks of wildfires. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/093026-Becerra-Hilton-Debate-CNN-CM-01.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102304\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/093026-Becerra-Hilton-Debate-CNN-CM-01.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/093026-Becerra-Hilton-Debate-CNN-CM-01-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/093026-Becerra-Hilton-Debate-CNN-CM-01-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From left, gubernatorial candidates Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton, during CNN’s California Gubernatorial Debate at CNN’s studio in Burbank on Sept. 30, 2026. The debate was moderated by CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Grace Widyatmadja/CNN)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/093026-Becerra-Hilton-Debate-CNN-CM-01.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102304\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From left, gubernatorial candidates Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton, during CNN’s California Gubernatorial Debate at CNN’s studio in Burbank on Sept. 30, 2026. The debate was moderated by CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Grace Widyatmadja/CNN)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minority_governors_and_lieutenant_governors_in_the_United_States\">In America’s history,\u003c/a> only 11 Latines have served as governor — ever. There have been three Black and Asian governors each, and women have only served as governor 44 times. Those numbers are quite paltry when considering that more than 2,300 white men have served as governor since our nation was founded. (Romualdo Pacheco served as governor of California for less than a year in 1875, but was elevated from lieutenant governor to finish out a term and was not elected.)\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minority_governors_and_lieutenant_governors_in_the_United_States\">In America’s history,\u003c/a> only 11 Latines have served as governor — ever. There have been three Black and Asian governors each, and women have only served as governor 44 times. Those numbers are quite paltry when considering that more than 2,300 white men have served as governor since our nation was founded. (Romualdo Pacheco served as governor of California for less than a year in 1875, but was elevated from lieutenant governor to finish out a term and was not elected.)\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The 68-year-old Becerra came into the race with more than three decades of experience, serving in the California State Assembly, Congress, as California’s attorney general, and as the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services under the Biden Administration.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He highlights his upbringing as a working-class child of Mexican immigrants who forged a reputation in politics as a policy nerd, Mora said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Should the voters of California elect Xavier Becerra, he would be the first Latino governor in over a century — that within itself is monumental,” said Christian Arana, vice president of civic power and policy with the San Francisco-based Latino Community Foundation. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Latinos, Arana said, making up 40% of California’s population, comprise the second largest voting block in the state with nearly 9 million eligible voters — and contribute more than a trillion dollars to the state’s GDP. And, let’s not forget that half of the children in California are Latine. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Latinos, Arana said, making up 40% of California’s population, comprise the second largest voting block in the state with nearly 9 million eligible voters — and contribute more than a trillion dollars to the state’s GDP. And, let’s not forget that half of the children in California are Latine. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“To have somebody potentially look like you and also share the experiences that you might have is pretty significant,” Arana told me. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“To have somebody potentially look like you and also share the experiences that you might have is pretty significant,” Arana told me. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Becerra’s ascent to frontrunner seemed unlikely before he won the June primary, beating out a crowded field of Democratic candidates. Former East Bay Rep. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/eric-swalwell\">Eric Swalwell\u003c/a> was considered the top contender, but he \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079624/eric-swalwell-suspends-ca-gubernatorial-campaign\">suspended his campaign\u003c/a> in April amid allegations of sexual assault. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Imagine the positive impact that will have on the identities and aspirations of Latino/a kids throughout the State of California,” Hayward Mayor Mark Salinas \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/salinasforhayward/posts/the-last-mexican-american-governor-of-california-was-romualdo-pacheco-1875-he-wa/10235440316403368/\">wrote\u003c/a> in an April Facebook post. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Monique-Limon-Getty-9a92e895.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104006\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Monique-Limon-Getty-9a92e895.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Monique-Limon-Getty-9a92e895-160x113.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Monique-Limon-Getty-9a92e895-1536x1087.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. Monique Limón listens during an informational hearing by the Senate Transportation Subcommittee on LOSSAN Rail Corridor Resiliency in San Clemente, California, on Monday, Dec. 11, 2023. LOSSAN is the Los Angeles-San Luis Obispo-San Diego rail corridor.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Paul Bersebach/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Monique-Limon-Getty-9a92e895.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104006\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. Monique Limón listens during an informational hearing by the Senate Transportation Subcommittee on LOSSAN Rail Corridor Resiliency in San Clemente, California, on Monday, Dec. 11, 2023. LOSSAN is the Los Angeles-San Luis Obispo-San Diego rail corridor.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Paul Bersebach/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Becerra’s rise happens at a time when three other Latines currently hold prominent roles: Monique Limón serves as the Senate President pro Tempore, Robert Rivas is speaker of the state Assembly and Alex Padilla serves as U.S. senator. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That doesn’t necessarily mean that Latinos have collectively arrived in state politics, said Sonja Díaz, a civil rights attorney, policy adviser and political expert. But it does show that we are not sitting on the sidelines.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That doesn’t necessarily mean that Latinos have collectively arrived in state politics, said Sonja Díaz, a civil rights attorney, policy adviser and political expert. But it does show that we are not sitting on the sidelines.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On her Substack, “Unseen Fortitude,” Díaz wrote, “Representation matters. But representation without any accountability for doing (hacer) and delivering (cumplir) is merely symbolism. Democracies need more than symbolism, and Latino leaders are tired of being calm, quiet and told to wait.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the 1990s, California voters passed Proposition 187, a law that would have denied public services to undocumented immigrants.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It was ultimately ruled unconstitutional and never implemented, but that experience sparked a surge of Latino participation in politics in California, Díaz said. Still, the Democratic Party has depended on Latino voters in California without doing enough to elevate Latino candidates. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For Becerra to become the likely winner is “a historical feat because of the willful neglect of both major parties to integrate Latino candidates and Latino interest in places like California,” Díaz told me. “It is because of the infrastructure and the systemic decision-making that Latino leaders made in the ’80s and ’90s, we are where we are today. And, I think that that is huge.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>For Becerra to become the likely winner is “a historical feat because of the willful neglect of both major parties to integrate Latino candidates and Latino interest in places like California,” Díaz told me. “It is because of the infrastructure and the systemic decision-making that Latino leaders made in the ’80s and ’90s, we are where we are today. And, I think that that is huge.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Political parties and candidates need to do a better job engaging with Latino voters, Arana said. A recent \u003ca href=\"https://latinocf.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Topline-LCF-California-and-Texas-Survey-2026.pdf\">LCF survey\u003c/a> of Latino voters in California found that 40% had not been contacted by any candidate or party for the upcoming election.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Political parties and candidates need to do a better job engaging with Latino voters, Arana said. A recent \u003ca href=\"https://latinocf.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Topline-LCF-California-and-Texas-Survey-2026.pdf\">LCF survey\u003c/a> of Latino voters in California found that 40% had not been contacted by any candidate or party for the upcoming election.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At the same time, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/race-and-voting-in-california/\">Latine voters in California\u003c/a> tend to have lower turnout than other groups — 47% of Latinos are considered likely voters compared with 54% of Asian Americans, 54% of African Americans and 65% of whites, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Arana said many voters don’t show up at the polls because they don’t feel like their vote will make a difference or that politicians care about them. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Arana said many voters don’t show up at the polls because they don’t feel like their vote will make a difference or that politicians care about them. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The three experts I talked to all agreed that for Becerra to not just represent Latinos, but actually deliver results, he needs to address issues that affect Californians of all backgrounds — namely the lack of affordability and rising cost of living, but also concerns about climate change and the threat of AI eliminating jobs. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The three experts I talked to all agreed that for Becerra to not just represent Latinos, but actually deliver results, he needs to address issues that affect Californians of all backgrounds — namely the lack of affordability and rising cost of living, but also concerns about climate change and the threat of AI eliminating jobs. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Becerra has been criticized for not making specific promises, but has talked about the need to build more housing, make healthcare more accessible, reduce homelessness, prepare for natural disasters and fight the current presidential administration that has been hostile toward California and immigrant communities. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Becerra has been criticized for not making specific promises, but has talked about the need to build more housing, make healthcare more accessible, reduce homelessness, prepare for natural disasters and fight the current presidential administration that has been hostile toward California and immigrant communities. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/05/RS56133_IMG_4156-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11914686\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/05/RS56133_IMG_4156-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/05/RS56133_IMG_4156-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/05/RS56133_IMG_4156-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/05/RS56133_IMG_4156-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/05/RS56133_IMG_4156-qut-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Christian Arana, vice president of policy at the Latino Community Foundation, on Political Breakdown.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Guy Marzorati/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There is an expectation that he is going to deliver, right? Because he’s one of us,” Arana said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“At the end of the day, the governor of California has to operate in a system. He’s one of many actors in California. The other thing to consider is the final two years of the Trump presidency. We have yet to see what else may be coming down the pipeline.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“At the end of the day, the governor of California has to operate in a system. He’s one of many actors in California. The other thing to consider is the final two years of the Trump presidency. We have yet to see what else may be coming down the pipeline.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California governors propose a state budget, Díaz said, which is the principal way to influence policy and programs that can directly impact the cost of living and quality of life issues that many Latinos care about.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>California governors propose a state budget, Díaz said, which is the principal way to influence policy and programs that can directly impact the cost of living and quality of life issues that many Latinos care about.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There needs to be rebudgeting that ensures that the material conditions, the social, economic and cultural material conditions of households on the ground are improved,” she said. “There’s a myriad of things where the next governor can and will make a difference.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“There needs to be rebudgeting that ensures that the material conditions, the social, economic and cultural material conditions of households on the ground are improved,” she said. “There’s a myriad of things where the next governor can and will make a difference.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "California’s upcoming gubernatorial election includes a potentially monumental feat: Xavier Becerra could become California’s first Latino governor in over 150 years.\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was reported for K Onda KQED, a monthly newsletter focused on the Bay Area’s Latinx community. \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/newsletters/k-onda\">\u003cem>Click here to subscribe.\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/governor-2026\">upcoming gubernatorial election\u003c/a> in California has been characterized as “quiet” and “sleepy” because the frontrunner, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/xavier-becerra\">Xavier Becerra\u003c/a>, has a very high chance of winning. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But for Latines, this election is slated to be one of the most historic and monumental elections ever: The largest state in the nation with the largest Latine population is about to elect a Latino governor for the first time. Becerra’s election is a big deal. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Having someone in this highest office signals a potential turning point, a potential watershed moment, for which the future will tell whether this is a one-time thing or whether this opens the door for many more folks,” said G. Cristina Mora, sociology professor and co-director of the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. “The historical significance, the symbolism of it is incredibly important.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The likelihood that Becerra will become the next governor of California comes at a time when Latines have made gains in the state’s political landscape, but also when the state faces major challenges — from standing up to President Donald Trump’s attacks, to more people struggling with the rising cost of living and increased risks of wildfires. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/093026-Becerra-Hilton-Debate-CNN-CM-01.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102304\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/093026-Becerra-Hilton-Debate-CNN-CM-01.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/093026-Becerra-Hilton-Debate-CNN-CM-01-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/093026-Becerra-Hilton-Debate-CNN-CM-01-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From left, gubernatorial candidates Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton, during CNN’s California Gubernatorial Debate at CNN’s studio in Burbank on Sept. 30, 2026. The debate was moderated by CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. (Grace Widyatmadja/CNN)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minority_governors_and_lieutenant_governors_in_the_United_States\">In America’s history,\u003c/a> only 11 Latines have served as governor — ever. There have been three Black and Asian governors each, and women have only served as governor 44 times. Those numbers are quite paltry when considering that more than 2,300 white men have served as governor since our nation was founded. (Romualdo Pacheco served as governor of California for less than a year in 1875, but was elevated from lieutenant governor to finish out a term and was not elected.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The 68-year-old Becerra came into the race with more than three decades of experience, serving in the California State Assembly, Congress, as California’s attorney general, and as the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services under the Biden Administration.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He highlights his upbringing as a working-class child of Mexican immigrants who forged a reputation in politics as a policy nerd, Mora said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Should the voters of California elect Xavier Becerra, he would be the first Latino governor in over a century — that within itself is monumental,” said Christian Arana, vice president of civic power and policy with the San Francisco-based Latino Community Foundation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Latinos, Arana said, making up 40% of California’s population, comprise the second largest voting block in the state with nearly 9 million eligible voters — and contribute more than a trillion dollars to the state’s GDP. And, let’s not forget that half of the children in California are Latine. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“To have somebody potentially look like you and also share the experiences that you might have is pretty significant,” Arana told me. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Becerra’s ascent to frontrunner seemed unlikely before he won the June primary, beating out a crowded field of Democratic candidates. Former East Bay Rep. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/eric-swalwell\">Eric Swalwell\u003c/a> was considered the top contender, but he \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079624/eric-swalwell-suspends-ca-gubernatorial-campaign\">suspended his campaign\u003c/a> in April amid allegations of sexual assault. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Many of Swalwell’s supporters moved to line up behind Becerra, propelling him from a long shot into a position to make history.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Imagine the positive impact that will have on the identities and aspirations of Latino/a kids throughout the State of California,” Hayward Mayor Mark Salinas \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/salinasforhayward/posts/the-last-mexican-american-governor-of-california-was-romualdo-pacheco-1875-he-wa/10235440316403368/\">wrote\u003c/a> in an April Facebook post. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1416\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Monique-Limon-Getty-9a92e895.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104006\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Monique-Limon-Getty-9a92e895.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Monique-Limon-Getty-9a92e895-160x113.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Monique-Limon-Getty-9a92e895-1536x1087.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. Monique Limón listens during an informational hearing by the Senate Transportation Subcommittee on LOSSAN Rail Corridor Resiliency in San Clemente, California, on Monday, Dec. 11, 2023. LOSSAN is the Los Angeles-San Luis Obispo-San Diego rail corridor. (Paul Bersebach/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Becerra’s rise happens at a time when three other Latines currently hold prominent roles: Monique Limón serves as the Senate President pro Tempore, Robert Rivas is speaker of the state Assembly and Alex Padilla serves as U.S. senator. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That doesn’t necessarily mean that Latinos have collectively arrived in state politics, said Sonja Díaz, a civil rights attorney, policy adviser and political expert. But it does show that we are not sitting on the sidelines.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On her Substack, “Unseen Fortitude,” Díaz wrote, “Representation matters. But representation without any accountability for doing (hacer) and delivering (cumplir) is merely symbolism. Democracies need more than symbolism, and Latino leaders are tired of being calm, quiet and told to wait.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the 1990s, California voters passed Proposition 187, a law that would have denied public services to undocumented immigrants.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It was ultimately ruled unconstitutional and never implemented, but that experience sparked a surge of Latino participation in politics in California, Díaz said. Still, the Democratic Party has depended on Latino voters in California without doing enough to elevate Latino candidates. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For Becerra to become the likely winner is “a historical feat because of the willful neglect of both major parties to integrate Latino candidates and Latino interest in places like California,” Díaz told me. “It is because of the infrastructure and the systemic decision-making that Latino leaders made in the ’80s and ’90s, we are where we are today. And, I think that that is huge.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Political parties and candidates need to do a better job engaging with Latino voters, Arana said. A recent \u003ca href=\"https://latinocf.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Topline-LCF-California-and-Texas-Survey-2026.pdf\">LCF survey\u003c/a> of Latino voters in California found that 40% had not been contacted by any candidate or party for the upcoming election.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the same time, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/race-and-voting-in-california/\">Latine voters in California\u003c/a> tend to have lower turnout than other groups — 47% of Latinos are considered likely voters compared with 54% of Asian Americans, 54% of African Americans and 65% of whites, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Arana said many voters don’t show up at the polls because they don’t feel like their vote will make a difference or that politicians care about them. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The three experts I talked to all agreed that for Becerra to not just represent Latinos, but actually deliver results, he needs to address issues that affect Californians of all backgrounds — namely the lack of affordability and rising cost of living, but also concerns about climate change and the threat of AI eliminating jobs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Becerra has been criticized for not making specific promises, but has talked about the need to build more housing, make healthcare more accessible, reduce homelessness, prepare for natural disasters and fight the current presidential administration that has been hostile toward California and immigrant communities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/05/RS56133_IMG_4156-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11914686\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/05/RS56133_IMG_4156-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/05/RS56133_IMG_4156-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/05/RS56133_IMG_4156-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/05/RS56133_IMG_4156-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/05/RS56133_IMG_4156-qut-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Christian Arana, vice president of policy at the Latino Community Foundation, on Political Breakdown. (Guy Marzorati/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There is an expectation that he is going to deliver, right? Because he’s one of us,” Arana said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“At the end of the day, the governor of California has to operate in a system. He’s one of many actors in California. The other thing to consider is the final two years of the Trump presidency. We have yet to see what else may be coming down the pipeline.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California governors propose a state budget, Díaz said, which is the principal way to influence policy and programs that can directly impact the cost of living and quality of life issues that many Latinos care about.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There needs to be rebudgeting that ensures that the material conditions, the social, economic and cultural material conditions of households on the ground are improved,” she said. “There’s a myriad of things where the next governor can and will make a difference.” \u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "SF Democrats Move to Endorse Gary McCoy for District 8 Supervisor",
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"headTitle": "SF Democrats Move to Endorse Gary McCoy for District 8 Supervisor | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a> Democratic Party is officially rescinding its endorsement of Manny Yekutiel for District 8 Supervisor, throwing its support instead behind Gary McCoy.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yekutiel, a small business owner and political organizer, was considered the frontrunner in the election for District 8, which is currently represented by Rafael Mandelmann. But after several men accused Yekutiel of sexual assault, he \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12102333/new-allegations-surface-against-san-francisco-supervisor-candidate-manny-yekutiel\">dropped out \u003c/a>of the race. In July, community organizer Brad Chapin initially \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090065/sexual-assault-allegations-against-manny-yekutiel-roil-san-francisco-democrats\">accused Yekutiel\u003c/a> of groping him, and two people came forward with similar allegations earlier this month. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The city’s Democratic Party held a virtual emergency meeting on Sunday, where it voted 29-0 to officially rescind its endorsement of Yekutiel.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/250105-LurieInaugurationCleanup-51-edited.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102359\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/250105-LurieInaugurationCleanup-51-edited.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/250105-LurieInaugurationCleanup-51-edited-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/250105-LurieInaugurationCleanup-51-edited-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie walks with Supervisor Rafael Mandelman and Manny Yekutiel during a trash pick-up in the Mission District on Jan. 5, 2025, during a weekend of service before his inauguration. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In August, the local party faced backlash for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097058/san-francisco-democratic-party-endorses-manny-yekutiel-for-supervisor-after-sexual-assault-allegations\">voting to endorse\u003c/a> Yekutiel — on the same day that it also announced the investigation into Chapin’s allegations had concluded. An ombudsperson who reviewed the complaint against Yekutiel said that no judgment could be made about whether the alleged incident occurred. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But many of Yekutiel’s supporters, including Mayor Daniel Lurie, pulled their \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12102333/new-allegations-surface-against-san-francisco-supervisor-candidate-manny-yekutiel\">endorsements when the additional allegations surfaced earlier this month, \u003c/a>which prompted calls from members of the Democratic Party for Chair Nancy Tung to resign immediately. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After nearly two hours of public comment, Tung addressed those calling for her resignation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The calls for my resignation will surely ensure that nothing ever gets done,” Tung said, “No other politician, no other person on this body, or anyone else will decide to take on this very messy problem.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tung referenced the failure of the organization’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfdems.org/chair/accountability\">2024 \u003c/a>framework to address sexual assault allegations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12102904/san-francisco-democratic-party-chair-apologizes-after-sexual-assault-policy-broke-down\">apologizing\u003c/a> to Chapin, Tung declared she would not resign.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If people do not want me to represent them as a Democrat in the leadership on the ‘D Triple C,’ I’m sure that I’ll be voted out,” Tung said, “But for now, I’m committed to remaining chair.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tung said she will continue to improve the organization’s policy on addressing sexual assault allegations and work with survivors.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>McCoy, a former aide to Nancy Pelosi, Scott Wiener and London Breed, saw a 20-0 vote on Sunday evening for his endorsement. He told KQED he’s honored to receive the endorsement of the city’s Democratic Party and that “It’s also my hope that this marks the start of increased accountability for the party.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>McCoy will face off against Michael Nguyen and Darshini Patel in the upcoming Nov. 3 election.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Yekutiel, a small business owner and political organizer, was considered the frontrunner in the election for District 8, which is currently represented by Rafael Mandelmann. But after several men accused Yekutiel of sexual assault, he \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12102333/new-allegations-surface-against-san-francisco-supervisor-candidate-manny-yekutiel\">dropped out \u003c/a>of the race. In July, community organizer Brad Chapin initially \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090065/sexual-assault-allegations-against-manny-yekutiel-roil-san-francisco-democrats\">accused Yekutiel\u003c/a> of groping him, and two people came forward with similar allegations earlier this month. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/250105-LurieInaugurationCleanup-51-edited.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102359\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/250105-LurieInaugurationCleanup-51-edited.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/250105-LurieInaugurationCleanup-51-edited-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/250105-LurieInaugurationCleanup-51-edited-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie walks with Supervisor Rafael Mandelman and Manny Yekutiel during a trash pick-up in the Mission District on Jan. 5, 2025, during a weekend of service before his inauguration.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The calls for my resignation will surely ensure that nothing ever gets done,” Tung said, “No other politician, no other person on this body, or anyone else will decide to take on this very messy problem.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The calls for my resignation will surely ensure that nothing ever gets done,” Tung said, “No other politician, no other person on this body, or anyone else will decide to take on this very messy problem.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Tung referenced the failure of the organization’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfdems.org/chair/accountability\">2024 \u003c/a>framework to address sexual assault allegations. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Tung referenced the failure of the organization’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfdems.org/chair/accountability\">2024 \u003c/a>framework to address sexual assault allegations. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12102904/san-francisco-democratic-party-chair-apologizes-after-sexual-assault-policy-broke-down\">apologizing\u003c/a> to Chapin, Tung declared she would not resign.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“If people do not want me to represent them as a Democrat in the leadership on the ‘D Triple C,’ I’m sure that I’ll be voted out,” Tung said, “But for now, I’m committed to remaining chair.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Tung said she will continue to improve the organization’s policy on addressing sexual assault allegations and work with survivors.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>McCoy, a former aide to Nancy Pelosi, Scott Wiener and London Breed, saw a 20-0 vote on Sunday evening for his endorsement. He told KQED he’s honored to receive the endorsement of the city’s Democratic Party and that “It’s also my hope that this marks the start of increased accountability for the party.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>McCoy, a former aide to Nancy Pelosi, Scott Wiener and London Breed, saw a 20-0 vote on Sunday evening for his endorsement. He told KQED he’s honored to receive the endorsement of the city’s Democratic Party and that “It’s also my hope that this marks the start of increased accountability for the party.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>McCoy will face off against Michael Nguyen and Darshini Patel in the upcoming Nov. 3 election.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "McCoy clinched the endorsement in a 20-0 vote after the party formally rescinded its support of Manny Yekutiel.\n",
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"title": "SF Democrats Move to Endorse Gary McCoy for District 8 Supervisor | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a> Democratic Party is officially rescinding its endorsement of Manny Yekutiel for District 8 Supervisor, throwing its support instead behind Gary McCoy.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yekutiel, a small business owner and political organizer, was considered the frontrunner in the election for District 8, which is currently represented by Rafael Mandelmann. But after several men accused Yekutiel of sexual assault, he \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12102333/new-allegations-surface-against-san-francisco-supervisor-candidate-manny-yekutiel\">dropped out \u003c/a>of the race. In July, community organizer Brad Chapin initially \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090065/sexual-assault-allegations-against-manny-yekutiel-roil-san-francisco-democrats\">accused Yekutiel\u003c/a> of groping him, and two people came forward with similar allegations earlier this month. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The city’s Democratic Party held a virtual emergency meeting on Sunday, where it voted 29-0 to officially rescind its endorsement of Yekutiel.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/250105-LurieInaugurationCleanup-51-edited.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102359\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/250105-LurieInaugurationCleanup-51-edited.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/250105-LurieInaugurationCleanup-51-edited-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/250105-LurieInaugurationCleanup-51-edited-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie walks with Supervisor Rafael Mandelman and Manny Yekutiel during a trash pick-up in the Mission District on Jan. 5, 2025, during a weekend of service before his inauguration. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In August, the local party faced backlash for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097058/san-francisco-democratic-party-endorses-manny-yekutiel-for-supervisor-after-sexual-assault-allegations\">voting to endorse\u003c/a> Yekutiel — on the same day that it also announced the investigation into Chapin’s allegations had concluded. An ombudsperson who reviewed the complaint against Yekutiel said that no judgment could be made about whether the alleged incident occurred. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But many of Yekutiel’s supporters, including Mayor Daniel Lurie, pulled their \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12102333/new-allegations-surface-against-san-francisco-supervisor-candidate-manny-yekutiel\">endorsements when the additional allegations surfaced earlier this month, \u003c/a>which prompted calls from members of the Democratic Party for Chair Nancy Tung to resign immediately. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After nearly two hours of public comment, Tung addressed those calling for her resignation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The calls for my resignation will surely ensure that nothing ever gets done,” Tung said, “No other politician, no other person on this body, or anyone else will decide to take on this very messy problem.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tung referenced the failure of the organization’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfdems.org/chair/accountability\">2024 \u003c/a>framework to address sexual assault allegations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12102904/san-francisco-democratic-party-chair-apologizes-after-sexual-assault-policy-broke-down\">apologizing\u003c/a> to Chapin, Tung declared she would not resign.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If people do not want me to represent them as a Democrat in the leadership on the ‘D Triple C,’ I’m sure that I’ll be voted out,” Tung said, “But for now, I’m committed to remaining chair.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tung said she will continue to improve the organization’s policy on addressing sexual assault allegations and work with survivors.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>McCoy, a former aide to Nancy Pelosi, Scott Wiener and London Breed, saw a 20-0 vote on Sunday evening for his endorsement. He told KQED he’s honored to receive the endorsement of the city’s Democratic Party and that “It’s also my hope that this marks the start of increased accountability for the party.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>McCoy will face off against Michael Nguyen and Darshini Patel in the upcoming Nov. 3 election.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "dont-skip-the-school-board-races-on-your-ballot-heres-why-they-could-be-pivotal",
"title": "Don’t Skip the School Board Races on Your Ballot. Here’s Why They Could Be Pivotal",
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"headTitle": "Don’t Skip the School Board Races on Your Ballot. Here’s Why They Could Be Pivotal | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>In \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/educationnews\">school districts\u003c/a> across the Bay Area, years of declining enrollment are forcing major cuts and closures; students’ math and reading scores are in a \u003ca href=\"https://cepr.harvard.edu/news/2026/05/why-us-test-scores-are-generation-long-decline\">free fall\u003c/a>; and campuses are being confronted with many of our major political fights, from transgender rights to AI regulation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But in many cases, the people elected to navigate these challenges earn that significant power by a margin as small as a couple hundred votes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>More than half of school board candidates across the U.S. run uncontested in an average election cycle, and voter turnout hovers between 5% and 10%. And school board races tend to be “low information,” meaning voters know little about who the candidates are or where they stand on key issues, many of which are similar across districts throughout the state.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>KQED asked \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide\">390 candidates vying for 109 school board seats\u003c/a> across the nine-county Bay Area in November for their stance on some of these topics, from potential school closures to cellphone use — information voters can use at a time that education experts say is pivotal to public schools’ success. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We have some unambiguously big problems for schools,” said Jon Valant, who directs the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution. “You can have a big impact, and you can have a big impact at a time when schools are facing a lot of important questions.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What do school boards actually do?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>School boards oversee large budgets, act as major employers and make policy and curriculum decisions that affect thousands of young people — and have rippling impacts on their wider communities.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“[Public schools] are the primary institutions that we have for preparing people to be contributing members of our society, democracy and economy,” Valant said. “When you’re participating in a school board election, you’re really having a say in the structure of our society more broadly.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260806_SFUSDNEWSCHOOL_GC-8-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094191\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260806_SFUSDNEWSCHOOL_GC-8-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260806_SFUSDNEWSCHOOL_GC-8-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260806_SFUSDNEWSCHOOL_GC-8-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A classroom at Mission Bay Elementary School in San Francisco on Aug. 6, 2026. Mission Bay School is the first new public SFUSD school to open in 20 years. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The bodies have a few main functions: approving a school district’s budget — which for an urban district like San Francisco, tops $1.36 billion — and hiring and evaluating a superintendent, the person “who’s really responsible for running the system,” according to Julie Marsh, a faculty director at Policy Analysis for California Education.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>School boards set priorities, such as student outcome goals and community values, that are supposed to guide decision-making by the superintendent and district staff. They also approve curriculum and labor contracts and can steer high-level policy. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Culture war battlegrounds\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Less officially, school boards have also become political arenas.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Schools and particularly school boards have really become some of the country’s main battlegrounds for its culture wars,” Valant said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He traces the trend back to the COVID-19 pandemic, when some groups of parents began organizing and rallying against masking and vaccine mandates.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1571\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/MomsLibertyGetty-52a1d437.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103881\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/MomsLibertyGetty-52a1d437.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/MomsLibertyGetty-52a1d437-160x126.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/MomsLibertyGetty-52a1d437-1536x1207.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Martha Aguilera, left, with Karen Frost of Moms for Liberty, speaks at the California Policy Center and PERK (Protection of the Educational Rights of Kids) event, “A Line in the Sand, A Rally for Parental Rights,” at Rancho Madera Community Park in Simi Valley, California, on Sept. 26, 2023. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Around the same time, groups like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101904708/conservative-mothers-as-a-political-force-in-california\">Moms for Liberty\u003c/a> were on the rise, advocating against curriculum that teaches about LGBTQ rights and race and ethnicity. They began running school board candidates and establishing a sustained presence at school board meetings, sowing fear that public schools are pushing “woke indoctrination.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’ve seen far-right leaders who have been quite successful with this approach where they run well-funded groups, organize and run a candidate on an ideological platform,” Marsh said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She and other experts said the rise of candidates running for the nonpartisan roles backed by political interest groups became especially prominent in the early 2020s. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While these groups’ influence on school board races seems to be dying down in California, Valant said a recent national Brookings survey found that school board members still feel their governance has become more political and partisan in recent years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Marsh said that conservative groups have also used the tactic to upend trust in school systems more broadly and “mobilize their base.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There’s a whole strategy of creating a bench for potential candidates for higher office,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1372\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/Sonja-Shaw-Getty-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12086196\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/Sonja-Shaw-Getty-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/Sonja-Shaw-Getty-1-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/Sonja-Shaw-Getty-1-1536x1054.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sonja Shaw, Chino Valley Unified School District Board President, speaks at the California Policy Center and PERK (Protection of the Educational Rights of Kids) event, “A Line in the Sand: A Rally for Parental Rights,” at Rancho Madera Community Park in Simi Valley, California, on Sept. 26, 2023. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sonja Shaw, who is in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086044/conservative-activist-sonja-shaw-advances-in-state-superintendent-race\">runoff election for California state superintendent\u003c/a> this November, rose to notoriety as Chino Valley’s school board president in 2023, when she pushed for a policy that would require school staff to notify parents of any change in their children’s gender identity. Shaw made headlines after current state Superintendent Tony Thurmond was heckled and removed from her district’s board meeting after he expressed opposition to the policy. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The policy was permanently halted in 2024, after a lawsuit from Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with similar campaigns to implement “forced outing” in Rocklin and counties in Southern California.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>President Donald Trump also harnessed fear surrounding schools’ policies around LGBTQ students in the final stretch of his 2024 reelection campaign, telling a crowd of about 20,000 at Madison Square Garden, “we will get … transgender insanity the hell out of our schools.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He repeatedly told voters: “your kid goes to school and comes home a few days later with an operation,” changing their sex.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Big, big issues’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While “culture war politics” draw attention and tend to spur single-issue candidates to run for school boards, Valant said, “we need really to be focused on some of the core issues in education.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“[Artificial intelligence] has kind of landed on schools’ laps, and questions about how technology should be embedded into the school day,” he said. “We’ve seen achievement declines across the country and growing gaps between the highest- and lowest-scoring students. We’ve seen chronic absenteeism and enrollment declines.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“And, we’ve seen a growing attack on public education across the country,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/LAUSDScreenTimeGetty-d975feb9.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103883\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/LAUSDScreenTimeGetty-d975feb9.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/LAUSDScreenTimeGetty-d975feb9-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/LAUSDScreenTimeGetty-d975feb9-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Nick Melvoin, Member of the Los Angeles Unified School District, speaks during a board meeting at the LAUSD headquarters on April 21, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. The LAUSD met to discuss a resolution calling for development of a Screen Time Policy setting time limits by grade, including elimination of student digital devices for early education through first grade, prohibiting device use by elementary and middle school students during passing periods, lunch and recess. The board unanimously voted to approve Board Member Melvoin’s Resolution to limit student screen time. (Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Many of the boards elected this November will be tasked with deciding how their districts will weather shrinking student bodies, and whether to close schools as part of that process.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/school-closures\">closure process\u003c/a> is almost always met with strong opposition from families and teachers, but how districts approach it can significantly change how it affects enrollment and trust.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco’s former superintendent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12010008/sf-schools-crisis-is-spiraling-with-top-official-to-resign-heres-all-thats-happened\">resigned under pressure\u003c/a> in 2024 after a botched closure process that strained relationships with the district’s labor unions and many families. But earlier this year, the school board \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095382/as-sfusd-welcomes-back-students-officials-plan-to-revamp-enrollment-consider-closures\">reopened the question of school consolidations\u003c/a>, giving Superintendent Maria Su a strict deadline of 2030 to decide whether campuses should shutter. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The board — including the three members who will be elected this fall — will have final approval over her plan.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Campus closures can upend longstanding school communities, and National School Board Association president Verjeana McCotter-Jacobs said they have rippling effects on nearby businesses, property values and neighborhood populations if they spur families to move.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Of the 140 Bay Area school board candidates who responded to KQED’s question about school closures, 57% said they would consider supporting a proposal from their district to close schools, while 43% said they would oppose the practice.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Boards are also setting the course for the future of technology in classrooms, as parent-led backlash expands across the country, blaming overreliance on screens and artificial intelligence for poor learning outcomes. According to a joint Education Scorecard project from researchers at Stanford, Harvard and Dartmouth universities, falling test scores reflect a \u003ca href=\"https://cepr.harvard.edu/news/2026/05/why-us-test-scores-are-generation-long-decline\">decadelong “learning recession.”\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the spring, the Los Angeles Unified School District board passed a slate of historic tech-limiting policies, proposed by board member Nick Melvoin, with advocacy group Schools Beyond Screens. Districts across the country have moved quickly to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096557/a-chromebook-in-the-hand-of-every-child-did-schools-go-too-far\">replicate their model\u003c/a>, including in the Bay Area, from San José to Marin.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Last week, the Oakland school board approved new technology restrictions, proposed by board member Rachel Latta, that prohibit students from using individual devices during lunch and passing periods, and mandate training for teachers to reduce 1:1 device use by the fall of 2027. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Other districts in San Francisco, San Mateo and Palo Alto have formed ad hoc committees or working groups to consider stricter tech policies, which will be presented to their new boards in the spring.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco’s public school district is relatively behind on limiting tech use — the current board allowed administrators to punt on a stricter cellphone policy last spring, and it uses a controversial AI-assisted reading assessment and tutoring tool with kindergarteners.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Combatting federal attacks\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Voters aren’t just choosing who will make major instructional decisions at their local school districts; Valant said voting in school board elections this November will send an important message amid what he calls a “federal attack” on public schools.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Staying engaged with school boards, with education, with your local public school, is just really important in communicating that public schools are institutions that mean a lot to this country,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Since taking office last year, Trump has signed an executive order directing the dismantling of the Department of Education and created a federal \u003ca href=\"https://www.ed.gov/media/document/education-freedom-tax-credit-fact-sheet-113147.pdf\">Education Freedom Scholarship Program\u003c/a>, which aims to expand parents’ school choice by allowing them to receive tax credits up to $1,700 that can be used to pay for private school tuition, home-schooling costs, and other educational support.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-2285787606-scaled-e1791586238561.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091600\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the nation from the East Room of the White House on July 16, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Saul Loeb/Pool via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Those together are the biggest change in school policy since at least the early 1990s,” said professor Doug Harris, the director of the National Center for Research on Education Access and Choice at Tulane University. “The idea of open access or universal access to schools is upended. Public education has always involved some public governance, and this eliminates [that].”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Valant called the universal private school choice policies, adopted by more than half of U.S. states, not including California, “intentionally hostile to public schools.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While the federal government has suggested that school choice increases competition and will improve public schools, Valant and others worry it will siphon funds away from the public system and toward schools that are able to select which students they serve — and often teach religious material.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Trump administration has also threatened to withhold federal dollars from school districts that teach about diversity, equity and inclusion, or promote policies that protect transgender students. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In June, the Department of Education launched compliance reviews into SFUSD and three Monterey County school districts over their policies and materials related to gender identity and sexual orientation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/MariaSuAP2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12086920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/MariaSuAP2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/MariaSuAP2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/MariaSuAP2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Maria Su testifies during a House Education and Workforce Committee hearing on parental rights and school content policies, on June 10, 2026, in Washington. (Kevin Wolf/AP Photo)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Later that month, San Francisco Superintendent Su was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086522/congress-to-grill-san-francisco-schools-chief-maria-su-about-gender-ethnic-studies\">called to testify\u003c/a> before Congress about parental rights and “inappropriate” course curriculum.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>All of that adds up to a current moment that Marsh described as an attack on public education and democracy at large, adding that voting is essential to maintain those institutions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“A democracy that focuses on the common good … actually requires people to look out for other kids, not just their own families,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“School boards are one of our few local institutions that are both defending democracy and public education,” she said. “The federal government can’t do anything about our boards — the school board system is well established, and I think we need to defend that.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/educationnews\">school districts\u003c/a> across the Bay Area, years of declining enrollment are forcing major cuts and closures; students’ math and reading scores are in a \u003ca href=\"https://cepr.harvard.edu/news/2026/05/why-us-test-scores-are-generation-long-decline\">free fall\u003c/a>; and campuses are being confronted with many of our major political fights, from transgender rights to AI regulation. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But in many cases, the people elected to navigate these challenges earn that significant power by a margin as small as a couple hundred votes. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>More than half of school board candidates across the U.S. run uncontested in an average election cycle, and voter turnout hovers between 5% and 10%. And school board races tend to be “low information,” meaning voters know little about who the candidates are or where they stand on key issues, many of which are similar across districts throughout the state.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>More than half of school board candidates across the U.S. run uncontested in an average election cycle, and voter turnout hovers between 5% and 10%. And school board races tend to be “low information,” meaning voters know little about who the candidates are or where they stand on key issues, many of which are similar across districts throughout the state.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>KQED asked \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide\">390 candidates vying for 109 school board seats\u003c/a> across the nine-county Bay Area in November for their stance on some of these topics, from potential school closures to cellphone use — information voters can use at a time that education experts say is pivotal to public schools’ success. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>KQED asked \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide\">390 candidates vying for 109 school board seats\u003c/a> across the nine-county Bay Area in November for their stance on some of these topics, from potential school closures to cellphone use — information voters can use at a time that education experts say is pivotal to public schools’ success. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We have some unambiguously big problems for schools,” said Jon Valant, who directs the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution. “You can have a big impact, and you can have a big impact at a time when schools are facing a lot of important questions.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We have some unambiguously big problems for schools,” said Jon Valant, who directs the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution. “You can have a big impact, and you can have a big impact at a time when schools are facing a lot of important questions.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What do school boards actually do?\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>School boards oversee large budgets, act as major employers and make policy and curriculum decisions that affect thousands of young people — and have rippling impacts on their wider communities.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>School boards oversee large budgets, act as major employers and make policy and curriculum decisions that affect thousands of young people — and have rippling impacts on their wider communities.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“[Public schools] are the primary institutions that we have for preparing people to be contributing members of our society, democracy and economy,” Valant said. “When you’re participating in a school board election, you’re really having a say in the structure of our society more broadly.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“[Public schools] are the primary institutions that we have for preparing people to be contributing members of our society, democracy and economy,” Valant said. “When you’re participating in a school board election, you’re really having a say in the structure of our society more broadly.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260806_SFUSDNEWSCHOOL_GC-8-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094191\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260806_SFUSDNEWSCHOOL_GC-8-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260806_SFUSDNEWSCHOOL_GC-8-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260806_SFUSDNEWSCHOOL_GC-8-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A classroom at Mission Bay Elementary School in San Francisco on Aug. 6, 2026. Mission Bay School is the first new public SFUSD school to open in 20 years.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260806_SFUSDNEWSCHOOL_GC-8-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094191\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A classroom at Mission Bay Elementary School in San Francisco on Aug. 6, 2026. Mission Bay School is the first new public SFUSD school to open in 20 years.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The bodies have a few main functions: approving a school district’s budget — which for an urban district like San Francisco, tops $1.36 billion — and hiring and evaluating a superintendent, the person “who’s really responsible for running the system,” according to Julie Marsh, a faculty director at Policy Analysis for California Education.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The bodies have a few main functions: approving a school district’s budget — which for an urban district like San Francisco, tops $1.36 billion — and hiring and evaluating a superintendent, the person “who’s really responsible for running the system,” according to Julie Marsh, a faculty director at Policy Analysis for California Education.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>School boards set priorities, such as student outcome goals and community values, that are supposed to guide decision-making by the superintendent and district staff. They also approve curriculum and labor contracts and can steer high-level policy. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>School boards set priorities, such as student outcome goals and community values, that are supposed to guide decision-making by the superintendent and district staff. They also approve curriculum and labor contracts and can steer high-level policy. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Culture war battlegrounds\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Less officially, school boards have also become political arenas.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Schools and particularly school boards have really become some of the country’s main battlegrounds for its culture wars,” Valant said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Schools and particularly school boards have really become some of the country’s main battlegrounds for its culture wars,” Valant said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He traces the trend back to the COVID-19 pandemic, when some groups of parents began organizing and rallying against masking and vaccine mandates.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>He traces the trend back to the COVID-19 pandemic, when some groups of parents began organizing and rallying against masking and vaccine mandates.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/MomsLibertyGetty-52a1d437.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103881\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/MomsLibertyGetty-52a1d437.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/MomsLibertyGetty-52a1d437-160x126.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/MomsLibertyGetty-52a1d437-1536x1207.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Martha Aguilera, left, with Karen Frost of Moms for Liberty, speaks at the California Policy Center and PERK (Protection of the Educational Rights of Kids) event, “A Line in the Sand, A Rally for Parental Rights,” at Rancho Madera Community Park in Simi Valley, California, on Sept. 26, 2023.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/MomsLibertyGetty-52a1d437.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103881\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Martha Aguilera, left, with Karen Frost of Moms for Liberty, speaks at the California Policy Center and PERK (Protection of the Educational Rights of Kids) event, “A Line in the Sand, A Rally for Parental Rights,” at Rancho Madera Community Park in Simi Valley, California, on Sept. 26, 2023.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Around the same time, groups like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101904708/conservative-mothers-as-a-political-force-in-california\">Moms for Liberty\u003c/a> were on the rise, advocating against curriculum that teaches about LGBTQ rights and race and ethnicity. They began running school board candidates and establishing a sustained presence at school board meetings, sowing fear that public schools are pushing “woke indoctrination.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Around the same time, groups like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101904708/conservative-mothers-as-a-political-force-in-california\">Moms for Liberty\u003c/a> were on the rise, advocating against curriculum that teaches about LGBTQ rights and race and ethnicity. They began running school board candidates and establishing a sustained presence at school board meetings, sowing fear that public schools are pushing “woke indoctrination.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We’ve seen far-right leaders who have been quite successful with this approach where they run well-funded groups, organize and run a candidate on an ideological platform,” Marsh said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We’ve seen far-right leaders who have been quite successful with this approach where they run well-funded groups, organize and run a candidate on an ideological platform,” Marsh said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She and other experts said the rise of candidates running for the nonpartisan roles backed by political interest groups became especially prominent in the early 2020s. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She and other experts said the rise of candidates running for the nonpartisan roles backed by political interest groups became especially prominent in the early 2020s. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While these groups’ influence on school board races seems to be dying down in California, Valant said a recent national Brookings survey found that school board members still feel their governance has become more political and partisan in recent years. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While these groups’ influence on school board races seems to be dying down in California, Valant said a recent national Brookings survey found that school board members still feel their governance has become more political and partisan in recent years. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Marsh said that conservative groups have also used the tactic to upend trust in school systems more broadly and “mobilize their base.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There’s a whole strategy of creating a bench for potential candidates for higher office,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/Sonja-Shaw-Getty-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12086196\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/Sonja-Shaw-Getty-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/Sonja-Shaw-Getty-1-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/Sonja-Shaw-Getty-1-1536x1054.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sonja Shaw, Chino Valley Unified School District Board President, speaks at the California Policy Center and PERK (Protection of the Educational Rights of Kids) event, “A Line in the Sand: A Rally for Parental Rights,” at Rancho Madera Community Park in Simi Valley, California, on Sept. 26, 2023.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/Sonja-Shaw-Getty-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12086196\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sonja Shaw, Chino Valley Unified School District Board President, speaks at the California Policy Center and PERK (Protection of the Educational Rights of Kids) event, “A Line in the Sand: A Rally for Parental Rights,” at Rancho Madera Community Park in Simi Valley, California, on Sept. 26, 2023.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Sonja Shaw, who is in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086044/conservative-activist-sonja-shaw-advances-in-state-superintendent-race\">runoff election for California state superintendent\u003c/a> this November, rose to notoriety as Chino Valley’s school board president in 2023, when she pushed for a policy that would require school staff to notify parents of any change in their children’s gender identity. Shaw made headlines after current state Superintendent Tony Thurmond was heckled and removed from her district’s board meeting after he expressed opposition to the policy. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Sonja Shaw, who is in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086044/conservative-activist-sonja-shaw-advances-in-state-superintendent-race\">runoff election for California state superintendent\u003c/a> this November, rose to notoriety as Chino Valley’s school board president in 2023, when she pushed for a policy that would require school staff to notify parents of any change in their children’s gender identity. Shaw made headlines after current state Superintendent Tony Thurmond was heckled and removed from her district’s board meeting after he expressed opposition to the policy. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The policy was permanently halted in 2024, after a lawsuit from Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with similar campaigns to implement “forced outing” in Rocklin and counties in Southern California.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>President Donald Trump also harnessed fear surrounding schools’ policies around LGBTQ students in the final stretch of his 2024 reelection campaign, telling a crowd of about 20,000 at Madison Square Garden, “we will get … transgender insanity the hell out of our schools.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>President Donald Trump also harnessed fear surrounding schools’ policies around LGBTQ students in the final stretch of his 2024 reelection campaign, telling a crowd of about 20,000 at Madison Square Garden, “we will get … transgender insanity the hell out of our schools.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He repeatedly told voters: “your kid goes to school and comes home a few days later with an operation,” changing their sex.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While “culture war politics” draw attention and tend to spur single-issue candidates to run for school boards, Valant said, “we need really to be focused on some of the core issues in education.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“[Artificial intelligence] has kind of landed on schools’ laps, and questions about how technology should be embedded into the school day,” he said. “We’ve seen achievement declines across the country and growing gaps between the highest- and lowest-scoring students. We’ve seen chronic absenteeism and enrollment declines.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“[Artificial intelligence] has kind of landed on schools’ laps, and questions about how technology should be embedded into the school day,” he said. “We’ve seen achievement declines across the country and growing gaps between the highest- and lowest-scoring students. We’ve seen chronic absenteeism and enrollment declines.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“And, we’ve seen a growing attack on public education across the country,” he said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/LAUSDScreenTimeGetty-d975feb9.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103883\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/LAUSDScreenTimeGetty-d975feb9.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/LAUSDScreenTimeGetty-d975feb9-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/LAUSDScreenTimeGetty-d975feb9-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Nick Melvoin, Member of the Los Angeles Unified School District, speaks during a board meeting at the LAUSD headquarters on April 21, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. The LAUSD met to discuss a resolution calling for development of a Screen Time Policy setting time limits by grade, including elimination of student digital devices for early education through first grade, prohibiting device use by elementary and middle school students during passing periods, lunch and recess. The board unanimously voted to approve Board Member Melvoin’s Resolution to limit student screen time.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/LAUSDScreenTimeGetty-d975feb9.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103883\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Nick Melvoin, Member of the Los Angeles Unified School District, speaks during a board meeting at the LAUSD headquarters on April 21, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. The LAUSD met to discuss a resolution calling for development of a Screen Time Policy setting time limits by grade, including elimination of student digital devices for early education through first grade, prohibiting device use by elementary and middle school students during passing periods, lunch and recess. The board unanimously voted to approve Board Member Melvoin’s Resolution to limit student screen time.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Many of the boards elected this November will be tasked with deciding how their districts will weather shrinking student bodies, and whether to close schools as part of that process.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Many of the boards elected this November will be tasked with deciding how their districts will weather shrinking student bodies, and whether to close schools as part of that process.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/school-closures\">closure process\u003c/a> is almost always met with strong opposition from families and teachers, but how districts approach it can significantly change how it affects enrollment and trust.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/school-closures\">closure process\u003c/a> is almost always met with strong opposition from families and teachers, but how districts approach it can significantly change how it affects enrollment and trust.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San Francisco’s former superintendent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12010008/sf-schools-crisis-is-spiraling-with-top-official-to-resign-heres-all-thats-happened\">resigned under pressure\u003c/a> in 2024 after a botched closure process that strained relationships with the district’s labor unions and many families. But earlier this year, the school board \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095382/as-sfusd-welcomes-back-students-officials-plan-to-revamp-enrollment-consider-closures\">reopened the question of school consolidations\u003c/a>, giving Superintendent Maria Su a strict deadline of 2030 to decide whether campuses should shutter. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The board — including the three members who will be elected this fall — will have final approval over her plan.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Campus closures can upend longstanding school communities, and National School Board Association president Verjeana McCotter-Jacobs said they have rippling effects on nearby businesses, property values and neighborhood populations if they spur families to move.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Campus closures can upend longstanding school communities, and National School Board Association president Verjeana McCotter-Jacobs said they have rippling effects on nearby businesses, property values and neighborhood populations if they spur families to move.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Of the 140 Bay Area school board candidates who responded to KQED’s question about school closures, 57% said they would consider supporting a proposal from their district to close schools, while 43% said they would oppose the practice.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Of the 140 Bay Area school board candidates who responded to KQED’s question about school closures, 57% said they would consider supporting a proposal from their district to close schools, while 43% said they would oppose the practice.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Boards are also setting the course for the future of technology in classrooms, as parent-led backlash expands across the country, blaming overreliance on screens and artificial intelligence for poor learning outcomes. According to a joint Education Scorecard project from researchers at Stanford, Harvard and Dartmouth universities, falling test scores reflect a \u003ca href=\"https://cepr.harvard.edu/news/2026/05/why-us-test-scores-are-generation-long-decline\">decadelong “learning recession.”\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Boards are also setting the course for the future of technology in classrooms, as parent-led backlash expands across the country, blaming overreliance on screens and artificial intelligence for poor learning outcomes. According to a joint Education Scorecard project from researchers at Stanford, Harvard and Dartmouth universities, falling test scores reflect a \u003ca href=\"https://cepr.harvard.edu/news/2026/05/why-us-test-scores-are-generation-long-decline\">decadelong “learning recession.”\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the spring, the Los Angeles Unified School District board passed a slate of historic tech-limiting policies, proposed by board member Nick Melvoin, with advocacy group Schools Beyond Screens. Districts across the country have moved quickly to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096557/a-chromebook-in-the-hand-of-every-child-did-schools-go-too-far\">replicate their model\u003c/a>, including in the Bay Area, from San José to Marin.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In the spring, the Los Angeles Unified School District board passed a slate of historic tech-limiting policies, proposed by board member Nick Melvoin, with advocacy group Schools Beyond Screens. Districts across the country have moved quickly to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096557/a-chromebook-in-the-hand-of-every-child-did-schools-go-too-far\">replicate their model\u003c/a>, including in the Bay Area, from San José to Marin.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Last week, the Oakland school board approved new technology restrictions, proposed by board member Rachel Latta, that prohibit students from using individual devices during lunch and passing periods, and mandate training for teachers to reduce 1:1 device use by the fall of 2027. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Last week, the Oakland school board approved new technology restrictions, proposed by board member Rachel Latta, that prohibit students from using individual devices during lunch and passing periods, and mandate training for teachers to reduce 1:1 device use by the fall of 2027. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Other districts in San Francisco, San Mateo and Palo Alto have formed ad hoc committees or working groups to consider stricter tech policies, which will be presented to their new boards in the spring.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Other districts in San Francisco, San Mateo and Palo Alto have formed ad hoc committees or working groups to consider stricter tech policies, which will be presented to their new boards in the spring.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San Francisco’s public school district is relatively behind on limiting tech use — the current board allowed administrators to punt on a stricter cellphone policy last spring, and it uses a controversial AI-assisted reading assessment and tutoring tool with kindergarteners.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>San Francisco’s public school district is relatively behind on limiting tech use — the current board allowed administrators to punt on a stricter cellphone policy last spring, and it uses a controversial AI-assisted reading assessment and tutoring tool with kindergarteners.\u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "Combatting federal attacks",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Voters aren’t just choosing who will make major instructional decisions at their local school districts; Valant said voting in school board elections this November will send an important message amid what he calls a “federal attack” on public schools.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Voters aren’t just choosing who will make major instructional decisions at their local school districts; Valant said voting in school board elections this November will send an important message amid what he calls a “federal attack” on public schools.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Staying engaged with school boards, with education, with your local public school, is just really important in communicating that public schools are institutions that mean a lot to this country,” he said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Staying engaged with school boards, with education, with your local public school, is just really important in communicating that public schools are institutions that mean a lot to this country,” he said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Since taking office last year, Trump has signed an executive order directing the dismantling of the Department of Education and created a federal \u003ca href=\"https://www.ed.gov/media/document/education-freedom-tax-credit-fact-sheet-113147.pdf\">Education Freedom Scholarship Program\u003c/a>, which aims to expand parents’ school choice by allowing them to receive tax credits up to $1,700 that can be used to pay for private school tuition, home-schooling costs, and other educational support.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Since taking office last year, Trump has signed an executive order directing the dismantling of the Department of Education and created a federal \u003ca href=\"https://www.ed.gov/media/document/education-freedom-tax-credit-fact-sheet-113147.pdf\">Education Freedom Scholarship Program\u003c/a>, which aims to expand parents’ school choice by allowing them to receive tax credits up to $1,700 that can be used to pay for private school tuition, home-schooling costs, and other educational support.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-2285787606-scaled-e1791586238561.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091600\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the nation from the East Room of the White House on July 16, 2026, in Washington, D.C. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Saul Loeb/Pool via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-2285787606-scaled-e1791586238561.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091600\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the nation from the East Room of the White House on July 16, 2026, in Washington, D.C. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Saul Loeb/Pool via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Those together are the biggest change in school policy since at least the early 1990s,” said professor Doug Harris, the director of the National Center for Research on Education Access and Choice at Tulane University. “The idea of open access or universal access to schools is upended. Public education has always involved some public governance, and this eliminates [that].”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Valant called the universal private school choice policies, adopted by more than half of U.S. states, not including California, “intentionally hostile to public schools.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While the federal government has suggested that school choice increases competition and will improve public schools, Valant and others worry it will siphon funds away from the public system and toward schools that are able to select which students they serve — and often teach religious material.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While the federal government has suggested that school choice increases competition and will improve public schools, Valant and others worry it will siphon funds away from the public system and toward schools that are able to select which students they serve — and often teach religious material.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Trump administration has also threatened to withhold federal dollars from school districts that teach about diversity, equity and inclusion, or promote policies that protect transgender students. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In June, the Department of Education launched compliance reviews into SFUSD and three Monterey County school districts over their policies and materials related to gender identity and sexual orientation.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Later that month, San Francisco Superintendent Su was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086522/congress-to-grill-san-francisco-schools-chief-maria-su-about-gender-ethnic-studies\">called to testify\u003c/a> before Congress about parental rights and “inappropriate” course curriculum.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Later that month, San Francisco Superintendent Su was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086522/congress-to-grill-san-francisco-schools-chief-maria-su-about-gender-ethnic-studies\">called to testify\u003c/a> before Congress about parental rights and “inappropriate” course curriculum.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>All of that adds up to a current moment that Marsh described as an attack on public education and democracy at large, adding that voting is essential to maintain those institutions.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“A democracy that focuses on the common good … actually requires people to look out for other kids, not just their own families,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“School boards are one of our few local institutions that are both defending democracy and public education,” she said. “The federal government can’t do anything about our boards — the school board system is well established, and I think we need to defend that.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“School boards are one of our few local institutions that are both defending democracy and public education,” she said. “The federal government can’t do anything about our boards — the school board system is well established, and I think we need to defend that.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "Public schools across the Bay Area are facing “some unambiguously big problems,” education experts say, but the elections for local school boards often fly under the radar.",
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"title": "Don’t Skip the School Board Races on Your Ballot. Here’s Why They Could Be Pivotal | KQED",
"description": "Public schools across the Bay Area are facing “some unambiguously big problems,” education experts say, but the elections for local school boards often fly under the radar.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>In \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/educationnews\">school districts\u003c/a> across the Bay Area, years of declining enrollment are forcing major cuts and closures; students’ math and reading scores are in a \u003ca href=\"https://cepr.harvard.edu/news/2026/05/why-us-test-scores-are-generation-long-decline\">free fall\u003c/a>; and campuses are being confronted with many of our major political fights, from transgender rights to AI regulation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But in many cases, the people elected to navigate these challenges earn that significant power by a margin as small as a couple hundred votes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>More than half of school board candidates across the U.S. run uncontested in an average election cycle, and voter turnout hovers between 5% and 10%. And school board races tend to be “low information,” meaning voters know little about who the candidates are or where they stand on key issues, many of which are similar across districts throughout the state.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>KQED asked \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide\">390 candidates vying for 109 school board seats\u003c/a> across the nine-county Bay Area in November for their stance on some of these topics, from potential school closures to cellphone use — information voters can use at a time that education experts say is pivotal to public schools’ success. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We have some unambiguously big problems for schools,” said Jon Valant, who directs the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution. “You can have a big impact, and you can have a big impact at a time when schools are facing a lot of important questions.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What do school boards actually do?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>School boards oversee large budgets, act as major employers and make policy and curriculum decisions that affect thousands of young people — and have rippling impacts on their wider communities.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“[Public schools] are the primary institutions that we have for preparing people to be contributing members of our society, democracy and economy,” Valant said. “When you’re participating in a school board election, you’re really having a say in the structure of our society more broadly.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260806_SFUSDNEWSCHOOL_GC-8-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094191\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260806_SFUSDNEWSCHOOL_GC-8-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260806_SFUSDNEWSCHOOL_GC-8-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260806_SFUSDNEWSCHOOL_GC-8-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A classroom at Mission Bay Elementary School in San Francisco on Aug. 6, 2026. Mission Bay School is the first new public SFUSD school to open in 20 years. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The bodies have a few main functions: approving a school district’s budget — which for an urban district like San Francisco, tops $1.36 billion — and hiring and evaluating a superintendent, the person “who’s really responsible for running the system,” according to Julie Marsh, a faculty director at Policy Analysis for California Education.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>School boards set priorities, such as student outcome goals and community values, that are supposed to guide decision-making by the superintendent and district staff. They also approve curriculum and labor contracts and can steer high-level policy. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Culture war battlegrounds\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Less officially, school boards have also become political arenas.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Schools and particularly school boards have really become some of the country’s main battlegrounds for its culture wars,” Valant said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He traces the trend back to the COVID-19 pandemic, when some groups of parents began organizing and rallying against masking and vaccine mandates.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1571\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/MomsLibertyGetty-52a1d437.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103881\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/MomsLibertyGetty-52a1d437.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/MomsLibertyGetty-52a1d437-160x126.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/MomsLibertyGetty-52a1d437-1536x1207.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Martha Aguilera, left, with Karen Frost of Moms for Liberty, speaks at the California Policy Center and PERK (Protection of the Educational Rights of Kids) event, “A Line in the Sand, A Rally for Parental Rights,” at Rancho Madera Community Park in Simi Valley, California, on Sept. 26, 2023. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Around the same time, groups like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101904708/conservative-mothers-as-a-political-force-in-california\">Moms for Liberty\u003c/a> were on the rise, advocating against curriculum that teaches about LGBTQ rights and race and ethnicity. They began running school board candidates and establishing a sustained presence at school board meetings, sowing fear that public schools are pushing “woke indoctrination.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’ve seen far-right leaders who have been quite successful with this approach where they run well-funded groups, organize and run a candidate on an ideological platform,” Marsh said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She and other experts said the rise of candidates running for the nonpartisan roles backed by political interest groups became especially prominent in the early 2020s. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While these groups’ influence on school board races seems to be dying down in California, Valant said a recent national Brookings survey found that school board members still feel their governance has become more political and partisan in recent years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Marsh said that conservative groups have also used the tactic to upend trust in school systems more broadly and “mobilize their base.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There’s a whole strategy of creating a bench for potential candidates for higher office,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1372\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/Sonja-Shaw-Getty-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12086196\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/Sonja-Shaw-Getty-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/Sonja-Shaw-Getty-1-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/Sonja-Shaw-Getty-1-1536x1054.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sonja Shaw, Chino Valley Unified School District Board President, speaks at the California Policy Center and PERK (Protection of the Educational Rights of Kids) event, “A Line in the Sand: A Rally for Parental Rights,” at Rancho Madera Community Park in Simi Valley, California, on Sept. 26, 2023. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sonja Shaw, who is in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086044/conservative-activist-sonja-shaw-advances-in-state-superintendent-race\">runoff election for California state superintendent\u003c/a> this November, rose to notoriety as Chino Valley’s school board president in 2023, when she pushed for a policy that would require school staff to notify parents of any change in their children’s gender identity. Shaw made headlines after current state Superintendent Tony Thurmond was heckled and removed from her district’s board meeting after he expressed opposition to the policy. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The policy was permanently halted in 2024, after a lawsuit from Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with similar campaigns to implement “forced outing” in Rocklin and counties in Southern California.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>President Donald Trump also harnessed fear surrounding schools’ policies around LGBTQ students in the final stretch of his 2024 reelection campaign, telling a crowd of about 20,000 at Madison Square Garden, “we will get … transgender insanity the hell out of our schools.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He repeatedly told voters: “your kid goes to school and comes home a few days later with an operation,” changing their sex.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Big, big issues’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While “culture war politics” draw attention and tend to spur single-issue candidates to run for school boards, Valant said, “we need really to be focused on some of the core issues in education.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“[Artificial intelligence] has kind of landed on schools’ laps, and questions about how technology should be embedded into the school day,” he said. “We’ve seen achievement declines across the country and growing gaps between the highest- and lowest-scoring students. We’ve seen chronic absenteeism and enrollment declines.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“And, we’ve seen a growing attack on public education across the country,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/LAUSDScreenTimeGetty-d975feb9.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103883\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/LAUSDScreenTimeGetty-d975feb9.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/LAUSDScreenTimeGetty-d975feb9-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/LAUSDScreenTimeGetty-d975feb9-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Nick Melvoin, Member of the Los Angeles Unified School District, speaks during a board meeting at the LAUSD headquarters on April 21, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. The LAUSD met to discuss a resolution calling for development of a Screen Time Policy setting time limits by grade, including elimination of student digital devices for early education through first grade, prohibiting device use by elementary and middle school students during passing periods, lunch and recess. The board unanimously voted to approve Board Member Melvoin’s Resolution to limit student screen time. (Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Many of the boards elected this November will be tasked with deciding how their districts will weather shrinking student bodies, and whether to close schools as part of that process.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/school-closures\">closure process\u003c/a> is almost always met with strong opposition from families and teachers, but how districts approach it can significantly change how it affects enrollment and trust.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco’s former superintendent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12010008/sf-schools-crisis-is-spiraling-with-top-official-to-resign-heres-all-thats-happened\">resigned under pressure\u003c/a> in 2024 after a botched closure process that strained relationships with the district’s labor unions and many families. But earlier this year, the school board \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095382/as-sfusd-welcomes-back-students-officials-plan-to-revamp-enrollment-consider-closures\">reopened the question of school consolidations\u003c/a>, giving Superintendent Maria Su a strict deadline of 2030 to decide whether campuses should shutter. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The board — including the three members who will be elected this fall — will have final approval over her plan.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Campus closures can upend longstanding school communities, and National School Board Association president Verjeana McCotter-Jacobs said they have rippling effects on nearby businesses, property values and neighborhood populations if they spur families to move.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Of the 140 Bay Area school board candidates who responded to KQED’s question about school closures, 57% said they would consider supporting a proposal from their district to close schools, while 43% said they would oppose the practice.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Boards are also setting the course for the future of technology in classrooms, as parent-led backlash expands across the country, blaming overreliance on screens and artificial intelligence for poor learning outcomes. According to a joint Education Scorecard project from researchers at Stanford, Harvard and Dartmouth universities, falling test scores reflect a \u003ca href=\"https://cepr.harvard.edu/news/2026/05/why-us-test-scores-are-generation-long-decline\">decadelong “learning recession.”\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the spring, the Los Angeles Unified School District board passed a slate of historic tech-limiting policies, proposed by board member Nick Melvoin, with advocacy group Schools Beyond Screens. Districts across the country have moved quickly to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096557/a-chromebook-in-the-hand-of-every-child-did-schools-go-too-far\">replicate their model\u003c/a>, including in the Bay Area, from San José to Marin.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Last week, the Oakland school board approved new technology restrictions, proposed by board member Rachel Latta, that prohibit students from using individual devices during lunch and passing periods, and mandate training for teachers to reduce 1:1 device use by the fall of 2027. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Other districts in San Francisco, San Mateo and Palo Alto have formed ad hoc committees or working groups to consider stricter tech policies, which will be presented to their new boards in the spring.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco’s public school district is relatively behind on limiting tech use — the current board allowed administrators to punt on a stricter cellphone policy last spring, and it uses a controversial AI-assisted reading assessment and tutoring tool with kindergarteners.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Combatting federal attacks\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Voters aren’t just choosing who will make major instructional decisions at their local school districts; Valant said voting in school board elections this November will send an important message amid what he calls a “federal attack” on public schools.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Staying engaged with school boards, with education, with your local public school, is just really important in communicating that public schools are institutions that mean a lot to this country,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Since taking office last year, Trump has signed an executive order directing the dismantling of the Department of Education and created a federal \u003ca href=\"https://www.ed.gov/media/document/education-freedom-tax-credit-fact-sheet-113147.pdf\">Education Freedom Scholarship Program\u003c/a>, which aims to expand parents’ school choice by allowing them to receive tax credits up to $1,700 that can be used to pay for private school tuition, home-schooling costs, and other educational support.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-2285787606-scaled-e1791586238561.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091600\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the nation from the East Room of the White House on July 16, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Saul Loeb/Pool via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Those together are the biggest change in school policy since at least the early 1990s,” said professor Doug Harris, the director of the National Center for Research on Education Access and Choice at Tulane University. “The idea of open access or universal access to schools is upended. Public education has always involved some public governance, and this eliminates [that].”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Valant called the universal private school choice policies, adopted by more than half of U.S. states, not including California, “intentionally hostile to public schools.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While the federal government has suggested that school choice increases competition and will improve public schools, Valant and others worry it will siphon funds away from the public system and toward schools that are able to select which students they serve — and often teach religious material.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Trump administration has also threatened to withhold federal dollars from school districts that teach about diversity, equity and inclusion, or promote policies that protect transgender students. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In June, the Department of Education launched compliance reviews into SFUSD and three Monterey County school districts over their policies and materials related to gender identity and sexual orientation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/MariaSuAP2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12086920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/MariaSuAP2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/MariaSuAP2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/MariaSuAP2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Maria Su testifies during a House Education and Workforce Committee hearing on parental rights and school content policies, on June 10, 2026, in Washington. (Kevin Wolf/AP Photo)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Later that month, San Francisco Superintendent Su was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086522/congress-to-grill-san-francisco-schools-chief-maria-su-about-gender-ethnic-studies\">called to testify\u003c/a> before Congress about parental rights and “inappropriate” course curriculum.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>All of that adds up to a current moment that Marsh described as an attack on public education and democracy at large, adding that voting is essential to maintain those institutions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“A democracy that focuses on the common good … actually requires people to look out for other kids, not just their own families,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“School boards are one of our few local institutions that are both defending democracy and public education,” she said. “The federal government can’t do anything about our boards — the school board system is well established, and I think we need to defend that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "local-loyalties-and-trump-opposition-collide-in-san-diego-house-race",
"title": "Local Loyalties and Trump Opposition Collide in San Diego House Race",
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"headTitle": "Local Loyalties and Trump Opposition Collide in San Diego House Race | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>VISTA — California’s newest \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/electionsnews\">congressional battleground\u003c/a> is taking shape in northern San Diego County, where hillsides speckled with terracotta roofs descend into canyons of chaparral — and voter opposition to President Donald Trump threatens to upend decades of local Republican dominance. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Previously a safely red seat, the new-look 48th Congressional District is rated “Lean Democrat” by the Cook Political Report — making it one of just three competitive districts left in California that will help decide control of Congress in November. Rep. Darrell Issa, the Republican incumbent, decided to retire rather than run for reelection. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A familiar dynamic has emerged in the race to succeed him: Democrat Marni von Wilpert, a San Diego City Council member, has positioned her campaign as a check on the Trump administration. Republican Jim Desmond, a San Diego County supervisor, has sought to ground his candidacy in local credibility to buttress the national headwinds facing the GOP.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Democrats set their sights on the 48th District after it was dramatically \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12064834/how-prop-50-just-rewrote-californias-2026-congressional-map\">reshaped by Proposition 50\u003c/a>, the new map approved by California voters last year as part of a national redistricting battle. The district was transformed from a seat that Trump won by 15.3% to one in which former Vice President Kamala Harris would have won by 3.4%.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Marni-von-Wilpert-Getty-fdc6ba42.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103898\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Marni-von-Wilpert-Getty-fdc6ba42.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Marni-von-Wilpert-Getty-fdc6ba42-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Marni-von-Wilpert-Getty-fdc6ba42-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Congressional candidate Marni Von Wilpert marches during the 2026 San Diego Pride Parade on July 18, 2026, in San Diego, California. (Daniel Knighton/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In Vista, where nearly half of residents are Latino, Desmond’s office recently sponsored the city’s Fiestas Patrias, a celebration of Mexican independence and Latino heritage. Local dance troupes performed traditional Mexican baile folklórico in the afternoon sun as their friends and family members cheered from tables shaded underneath large tents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As a procession of costumed dancers performing a danza de los diablos marched past, longtime Vista resident Yolanda Kenniston Alvarez praised Desmond for his constituent services. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She applauded Desmond’s office for sponsoring community gatherings and giving away household essentials such as baby formula to families in this working-class city.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Next week, they’re going to give out some car seats — that’s so good,” said Alvarez, who said she has voted for both Democrats and Republicans but is undecided in this race for Congress. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Still, reminders of Trump’s first-term agenda loomed over the festivities. An organizer of Vista’s Fiestas Patrias said the event was nearly canceled last year over fears of an immigration enforcement operation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Jim-Desmond-Getty-ed46ab3a.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103901\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Jim-Desmond-Getty-ed46ab3a.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Jim-Desmond-Getty-ed46ab3a-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Jim-Desmond-Getty-ed46ab3a-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jim Desmond, candidate for U.S. Congressional District CA 48, speaks to a reporter during a Republican election night watch party at The U.S. Grant Hotel on June 2, 2026, in downtown San Diego, California. (Luke Johnson/The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Alvarez said she was recently stopped on the street and questioned by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“People are scared — they’re scared they’re going to go back, they’re scared to even go to work, they’re scared to have their kids go to school,” she said. “It’s getting worse, and a lot of people are going against Trump.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Desmond’s firewall of local loyalty will be tested in an election that is shaping up to be a referendum on Trump, said Thad Kousser, a professor of political science at UC San Diego. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There are lots and lots of voters who strongly support Donald Trump in these areas,” Kousser said. “But the average voter in this area of San Diego is leaning towards the Democrats and not happy with the direction that Donald Trump has taken the country.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Trump took center stage in the race this week when he suggested letting Iran “take out San Diego” to prove the necessity of dismantling the country’s nuclear weapons capabilities. In response, Desmond \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/JimDesmondSD/status/2107294478314926462?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet\">wrote\u003c/a> on social media, “I vehemently disagree with President Trump’s comments … no American city is expendable, and no American family should ever be treated as collateral damage.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Von Wilpert has focused her campaign attacks on the local impacts of the Iran war — particularly the rising cost of gas in a region where drivers regularly endure long commutes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The choice is a fighter like me, who wants to stand up and lower costs to make Congress an equal branch of government again — or you could vote for another rubber stamp for the Donald Trump White House, which is my opponent,” Von Wilpert told KQED. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The newly drawn 48th District sprawls across vast stretches of Southern California, including areas of Riverside County around Temecula and the reliably Democratic city of Palm Springs.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the election is expected to swing on voters in the San Diego County cities of Escondido, San Marcos, Oceanside and Vista — an area known locally as North County. So far, both campaigns have focused their broadcast television ad buys primarily on San Diego stations, with a pro-Von Wilpert super PAC airing some ads in the Los Angeles market (which covers much of Riverside).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Desmond’s campaign views the geography as a key advantage: While Von Wilpert lives outside the district in the city of San Diego, Desmond served as mayor of San Marcos from 2006 to 2018 and is finishing his second term as county supervisor. Nearly half of the voters in the 48th District are already represented by Desmond on the Board of Supervisors, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan California Target Book. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Even as the area has swung towards Democrats in presidential elections, voters in North County have elected members of both parties to the state Legislature. The mayors of Escondido, San Marcos and Vista, though elected in nonpartisan races, are all Republicans.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Politically, I’d say we’re very purple; we’re not strongly leaning in either direction,” said Vista Mayor John Franklin, who has endorsed Desmond. “We think of him as a common-sense leader — he has been very responsive, he’s focused on affordability issues, particularly fighting tax increases.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Desmond declined an interview request for this story. During the campaign, he has emphasized pieces of his platform with bipartisan support — such as assisting first-time homebuyers and banning members of Congress from trading stocks. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Jim-Desmond-Getty2-bdd6ebf1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103902\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Jim-Desmond-Getty2-bdd6ebf1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Jim-Desmond-Getty2-bdd6ebf1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Jim-Desmond-Getty2-bdd6ebf1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Supporters of Jim Desmond, candidate for U.S. Congressional District CA 48, stand on stage as he speaks to the crowd during a Republican election night watch party at The U.S. Grant Hotel on June 2, 2026, in downtown San Diego, California. (Luke Johnson/The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I want to make sure that we can have the young families be able to afford a house and bring the cost of energy down,” Desmond \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcsandiego.com/video/videos/politically-speaking-one-on-one-with-jim-desmond/4076178/\">told \u003c/a>NBC 7 in San Diego. “If we can lower the cost of energy, we lower the cost of everything.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But Desmond has struggled to distance himself from the most unpopular parts of Trump’s agenda. The president announced his support of Desmond ahead of the June primary, but Trump doesn’t appear on the campaign’s list of endorsements. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Federal immigration enforcement has emerged as another local flashpoint in the race. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Oceanside, Vista and Escondido all rank among the top 40 cities in California for ICE arrest rates since Trump took office last year, according to an \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/ice-arrest-san-francisco-california-city-22407786.php\">analysis\u003c/a> by the \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The immigration crackdown has placed newfound scrutiny on the relationship between local governments and ICE. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In Escondido, a handful of protesters lined the street outside a Home Depot, waving signs reading “ICE OUT” to passing cars. The group began gathering every week after a series of sweeps in Home Depot parking lots across the region. They are demanding that the city of Escondido end a contract with ICE that allows federal immigration agents to train at a local firing range. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted last month to end similar contracts with ICE and Customs and Border Protection. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Desmond voted in opposition, but acknowledged that “ICE has overreached and overstepped.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Supreshma Riya, a freshman at California State University, San Marcos, said opposition to Trump’s immigration enforcement is the top issue motivating her vote. The San Diego native stopped by a voter registration drive on campus as she prepared to cast a ballot for the first time in November. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I think that the way that he’s handling the situation is inhumane,” Riya said. “I think people should be given fair chances and opportunities to make a difference in our country.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Opposition to the Biden administration’s border policy energized Republicans in 2024. But over time, Trump’s aggressive approach to immigration enforcement has chipped away at GOP support in the San Diego area, Kousser said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>North County is the last domino left standing in the region for the GOP. For decades, the area was represented in Congress by conservative stalwarts such as Duke Cunningham, Duncan Hunter and Issa. But a victory by Von Wilpert would give Democrats complete control of the county’s congressional delegation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This race could bring the culmination of the political transition of San Diego,” Kousser said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Previously a safely red seat, the new-look 48th Congressional District is rated “Lean Democrat” by the Cook Political Report — making it one of just three competitive districts left in California that will help decide control of Congress in November. Rep. Darrell Issa, the Republican incumbent, decided to retire rather than run for reelection. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A familiar dynamic has emerged in the race to succeed him: Democrat Marni von Wilpert, a San Diego City Council member, has positioned her campaign as a check on the Trump administration. Republican Jim Desmond, a San Diego County supervisor, has sought to ground his candidacy in local credibility to buttress the national headwinds facing the GOP.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Democrats set their sights on the 48th District after it was dramatically \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12064834/how-prop-50-just-rewrote-californias-2026-congressional-map\">reshaped by Proposition 50\u003c/a>, the new map approved by California voters last year as part of a national redistricting battle. The district was transformed from a seat that Trump won by 15.3% to one in which former Vice President Kamala Harris would have won by 3.4%.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Democrats set their sights on the 48th District after it was dramatically \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12064834/how-prop-50-just-rewrote-californias-2026-congressional-map\">reshaped by Proposition 50\u003c/a>, the new map approved by California voters last year as part of a national redistricting battle. The district was transformed from a seat that Trump won by 15.3% to one in which former Vice President Kamala Harris would have won by 3.4%.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Marni-von-Wilpert-Getty-fdc6ba42.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103898\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Marni-von-Wilpert-Getty-fdc6ba42.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Marni-von-Wilpert-Getty-fdc6ba42-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Marni-von-Wilpert-Getty-fdc6ba42-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Congressional candidate Marni Von Wilpert marches during the 2026 San Diego Pride Parade on July 18, 2026, in San Diego, California.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Daniel Knighton/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In Vista, where nearly half of residents are Latino, Desmond’s office recently sponsored the city’s Fiestas Patrias, a celebration of Mexican independence and Latino heritage. Local dance troupes performed traditional Mexican baile folklórico in the afternoon sun as their friends and family members cheered from tables shaded underneath large tents. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In Vista, where nearly half of residents are Latino, Desmond’s office recently sponsored the city’s Fiestas Patrias, a celebration of Mexican independence and Latino heritage. Local dance troupes performed traditional Mexican baile folklórico in the afternoon sun as their friends and family members cheered from tables shaded underneath large tents. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As a procession of costumed dancers performing a danza de los diablos marched past, longtime Vista resident Yolanda Kenniston Alvarez praised Desmond for his constituent services. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>As a procession of costumed dancers performing a danza de los diablos marched past, longtime Vista resident Yolanda Kenniston Alvarez praised Desmond for his constituent services. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She applauded Desmond’s office for sponsoring community gatherings and giving away household essentials such as baby formula to families in this working-class city.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Next week, they’re going to give out some car seats — that’s so good,” said Alvarez, who said she has voted for both Democrats and Republicans but is undecided in this race for Congress. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Still, reminders of Trump’s first-term agenda loomed over the festivities. An organizer of Vista’s Fiestas Patrias said the event was nearly canceled last year over fears of an immigration enforcement operation.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Alvarez said she was recently stopped on the street and questioned by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“People are scared — they’re scared they’re going to go back, they’re scared to even go to work, they’re scared to have their kids go to school,” she said. “It’s getting worse, and a lot of people are going against Trump.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Desmond’s firewall of local loyalty will be tested in an election that is shaping up to be a referendum on Trump, said Thad Kousser, a professor of political science at UC San Diego. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There are lots and lots of voters who strongly support Donald Trump in these areas,” Kousser said. “But the average voter in this area of San Diego is leaning towards the Democrats and not happy with the direction that Donald Trump has taken the country.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Trump took center stage in the race this week when he suggested letting Iran “take out San Diego” to prove the necessity of dismantling the country’s nuclear weapons capabilities. In response, Desmond \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/JimDesmondSD/status/2107294478314926462?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet\">wrote\u003c/a> on social media, “I vehemently disagree with President Trump’s comments … no American city is expendable, and no American family should ever be treated as collateral damage.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Von Wilpert has focused her campaign attacks on the local impacts of the Iran war — particularly the rising cost of gas in a region where drivers regularly endure long commutes. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The choice is a fighter like me, who wants to stand up and lower costs to make Congress an equal branch of government again — or you could vote for another rubber stamp for the Donald Trump White House, which is my opponent,” Von Wilpert told KQED. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The newly drawn 48th District sprawls across vast stretches of Southern California, including areas of Riverside County around Temecula and the reliably Democratic city of Palm Springs.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But the election is expected to swing on voters in the San Diego County cities of Escondido, San Marcos, Oceanside and Vista — an area known locally as North County. So far, both campaigns have focused their broadcast television ad buys primarily on San Diego stations, with a pro-Von Wilpert super PAC airing some ads in the Los Angeles market (which covers much of Riverside).\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Desmond’s campaign views the geography as a key advantage: While Von Wilpert lives outside the district in the city of San Diego, Desmond served as mayor of San Marcos from 2006 to 2018 and is finishing his second term as county supervisor. Nearly half of the voters in the 48th District are already represented by Desmond on the Board of Supervisors, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan California Target Book. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Even as the area has swung towards Democrats in presidential elections, voters in North County have elected members of both parties to the state Legislature. The mayors of Escondido, San Marcos and Vista, though elected in nonpartisan races, are all Republicans.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Politically, I’d say we’re very purple; we’re not strongly leaning in either direction,” said Vista Mayor John Franklin, who has endorsed Desmond. “We think of him as a common-sense leader — he has been very responsive, he’s focused on affordability issues, particularly fighting tax increases.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Politically, I’d say we’re very purple; we’re not strongly leaning in either direction,” said Vista Mayor John Franklin, who has endorsed Desmond. “We think of him as a common-sense leader — he has been very responsive, he’s focused on affordability issues, particularly fighting tax increases.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Desmond declined an interview request for this story. During the campaign, he has emphasized pieces of his platform with bipartisan support — such as assisting first-time homebuyers and banning members of Congress from trading stocks. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Desmond declined an interview request for this story. During the campaign, he has emphasized pieces of his platform with bipartisan support — such as assisting first-time homebuyers and banning members of Congress from trading stocks. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Jim-Desmond-Getty2-bdd6ebf1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103902\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Jim-Desmond-Getty2-bdd6ebf1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Jim-Desmond-Getty2-bdd6ebf1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Jim-Desmond-Getty2-bdd6ebf1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Supporters of Jim Desmond, candidate for U.S. Congressional District CA 48, stand on stage as he speaks to the crowd during a Republican election night watch party at The U.S. Grant Hotel on June 2, 2026, in downtown San Diego, California.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Luke Johnson/The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I want to make sure that we can have the young families be able to afford a house and bring the cost of energy down,” Desmond \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcsandiego.com/video/videos/politically-speaking-one-on-one-with-jim-desmond/4076178/\">told \u003c/a>NBC 7 in San Diego. “If we can lower the cost of energy, we lower the cost of everything.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But Desmond has struggled to distance himself from the most unpopular parts of Trump’s agenda. The president announced his support of Desmond ahead of the June primary, but Trump doesn’t appear on the campaign’s list of endorsements. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Oceanside, Vista and Escondido all rank among the top 40 cities in California for ICE arrest rates since Trump took office last year, according to an \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/ice-arrest-san-francisco-california-city-22407786.php\">analysis\u003c/a> by the \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The immigration crackdown has placed newfound scrutiny on the relationship between local governments and ICE. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In Escondido, a handful of protesters lined the street outside a Home Depot, waving signs reading “ICE OUT” to passing cars. The group began gathering every week after a series of sweeps in Home Depot parking lots across the region. They are demanding that the city of Escondido end a contract with ICE that allows federal immigration agents to train at a local firing range. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Supreshma Riya, a freshman at California State University, San Marcos, said opposition to Trump’s immigration enforcement is the top issue motivating her vote. The San Diego native stopped by a voter registration drive on campus as she prepared to cast a ballot for the first time in November. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Supreshma Riya, a freshman at California State University, San Marcos, said opposition to Trump’s immigration enforcement is the top issue motivating her vote. The San Diego native stopped by a voter registration drive on campus as she prepared to cast a ballot for the first time in November. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I think that the way that he’s handling the situation is inhumane,” Riya said. “I think people should be given fair chances and opportunities to make a difference in our country.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Opposition to the Biden administration’s border policy energized Republicans in 2024. But over time, Trump’s aggressive approach to immigration enforcement has chipped away at GOP support in the San Diego area, Kousser said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>North County is the last domino left standing in the region for the GOP. For decades, the area was represented in Congress by conservative stalwarts such as Duke Cunningham, Duncan Hunter and Issa. But a victory by Von Wilpert would give Democrats complete control of the county’s congressional delegation. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>North County is the last domino left standing in the region for the GOP. For decades, the area was represented in Congress by conservative stalwarts such as Duke Cunningham, Duncan Hunter and Issa. But a victory by Von Wilpert would give Democrats complete control of the county’s congressional delegation. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This race could bring the culmination of the political transition of San Diego,” Kousser said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Democrat Marni von Wilpert and Republican Jim Desmond compete in the 48th Congressional District, one of California’s most competitive House elections. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>VISTA — California’s newest \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/electionsnews\">congressional battleground\u003c/a> is taking shape in northern San Diego County, where hillsides speckled with terracotta roofs descend into canyons of chaparral — and voter opposition to President Donald Trump threatens to upend decades of local Republican dominance. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Previously a safely red seat, the new-look 48th Congressional District is rated “Lean Democrat” by the Cook Political Report — making it one of just three competitive districts left in California that will help decide control of Congress in November. Rep. Darrell Issa, the Republican incumbent, decided to retire rather than run for reelection. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A familiar dynamic has emerged in the race to succeed him: Democrat Marni von Wilpert, a San Diego City Council member, has positioned her campaign as a check on the Trump administration. Republican Jim Desmond, a San Diego County supervisor, has sought to ground his candidacy in local credibility to buttress the national headwinds facing the GOP.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Democrats set their sights on the 48th District after it was dramatically \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12064834/how-prop-50-just-rewrote-californias-2026-congressional-map\">reshaped by Proposition 50\u003c/a>, the new map approved by California voters last year as part of a national redistricting battle. The district was transformed from a seat that Trump won by 15.3% to one in which former Vice President Kamala Harris would have won by 3.4%.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Marni-von-Wilpert-Getty-fdc6ba42.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103898\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Marni-von-Wilpert-Getty-fdc6ba42.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Marni-von-Wilpert-Getty-fdc6ba42-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Marni-von-Wilpert-Getty-fdc6ba42-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Congressional candidate Marni Von Wilpert marches during the 2026 San Diego Pride Parade on July 18, 2026, in San Diego, California. (Daniel Knighton/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In Vista, where nearly half of residents are Latino, Desmond’s office recently sponsored the city’s Fiestas Patrias, a celebration of Mexican independence and Latino heritage. Local dance troupes performed traditional Mexican baile folklórico in the afternoon sun as their friends and family members cheered from tables shaded underneath large tents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As a procession of costumed dancers performing a danza de los diablos marched past, longtime Vista resident Yolanda Kenniston Alvarez praised Desmond for his constituent services. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She applauded Desmond’s office for sponsoring community gatherings and giving away household essentials such as baby formula to families in this working-class city.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Next week, they’re going to give out some car seats — that’s so good,” said Alvarez, who said she has voted for both Democrats and Republicans but is undecided in this race for Congress. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Still, reminders of Trump’s first-term agenda loomed over the festivities. An organizer of Vista’s Fiestas Patrias said the event was nearly canceled last year over fears of an immigration enforcement operation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Jim-Desmond-Getty-ed46ab3a.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103901\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Jim-Desmond-Getty-ed46ab3a.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Jim-Desmond-Getty-ed46ab3a-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Jim-Desmond-Getty-ed46ab3a-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jim Desmond, candidate for U.S. Congressional District CA 48, speaks to a reporter during a Republican election night watch party at The U.S. Grant Hotel on June 2, 2026, in downtown San Diego, California. (Luke Johnson/The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Alvarez said she was recently stopped on the street and questioned by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“People are scared — they’re scared they’re going to go back, they’re scared to even go to work, they’re scared to have their kids go to school,” she said. “It’s getting worse, and a lot of people are going against Trump.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Desmond’s firewall of local loyalty will be tested in an election that is shaping up to be a referendum on Trump, said Thad Kousser, a professor of political science at UC San Diego. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There are lots and lots of voters who strongly support Donald Trump in these areas,” Kousser said. “But the average voter in this area of San Diego is leaning towards the Democrats and not happy with the direction that Donald Trump has taken the country.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Trump took center stage in the race this week when he suggested letting Iran “take out San Diego” to prove the necessity of dismantling the country’s nuclear weapons capabilities. In response, Desmond \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/JimDesmondSD/status/2107294478314926462?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet\">wrote\u003c/a> on social media, “I vehemently disagree with President Trump’s comments … no American city is expendable, and no American family should ever be treated as collateral damage.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Von Wilpert has focused her campaign attacks on the local impacts of the Iran war — particularly the rising cost of gas in a region where drivers regularly endure long commutes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The choice is a fighter like me, who wants to stand up and lower costs to make Congress an equal branch of government again — or you could vote for another rubber stamp for the Donald Trump White House, which is my opponent,” Von Wilpert told KQED. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The newly drawn 48th District sprawls across vast stretches of Southern California, including areas of Riverside County around Temecula and the reliably Democratic city of Palm Springs.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the election is expected to swing on voters in the San Diego County cities of Escondido, San Marcos, Oceanside and Vista — an area known locally as North County. So far, both campaigns have focused their broadcast television ad buys primarily on San Diego stations, with a pro-Von Wilpert super PAC airing some ads in the Los Angeles market (which covers much of Riverside).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Desmond’s campaign views the geography as a key advantage: While Von Wilpert lives outside the district in the city of San Diego, Desmond served as mayor of San Marcos from 2006 to 2018 and is finishing his second term as county supervisor. Nearly half of the voters in the 48th District are already represented by Desmond on the Board of Supervisors, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan California Target Book. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Even as the area has swung towards Democrats in presidential elections, voters in North County have elected members of both parties to the state Legislature. The mayors of Escondido, San Marcos and Vista, though elected in nonpartisan races, are all Republicans.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Politically, I’d say we’re very purple; we’re not strongly leaning in either direction,” said Vista Mayor John Franklin, who has endorsed Desmond. “We think of him as a common-sense leader — he has been very responsive, he’s focused on affordability issues, particularly fighting tax increases.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Desmond declined an interview request for this story. During the campaign, he has emphasized pieces of his platform with bipartisan support — such as assisting first-time homebuyers and banning members of Congress from trading stocks. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Jim-Desmond-Getty2-bdd6ebf1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103902\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Jim-Desmond-Getty2-bdd6ebf1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Jim-Desmond-Getty2-bdd6ebf1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Jim-Desmond-Getty2-bdd6ebf1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Supporters of Jim Desmond, candidate for U.S. Congressional District CA 48, stand on stage as he speaks to the crowd during a Republican election night watch party at The U.S. Grant Hotel on June 2, 2026, in downtown San Diego, California. (Luke Johnson/The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I want to make sure that we can have the young families be able to afford a house and bring the cost of energy down,” Desmond \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcsandiego.com/video/videos/politically-speaking-one-on-one-with-jim-desmond/4076178/\">told \u003c/a>NBC 7 in San Diego. “If we can lower the cost of energy, we lower the cost of everything.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But Desmond has struggled to distance himself from the most unpopular parts of Trump’s agenda. The president announced his support of Desmond ahead of the June primary, but Trump doesn’t appear on the campaign’s list of endorsements. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Federal immigration enforcement has emerged as another local flashpoint in the race. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Oceanside, Vista and Escondido all rank among the top 40 cities in California for ICE arrest rates since Trump took office last year, according to an \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/ice-arrest-san-francisco-california-city-22407786.php\">analysis\u003c/a> by the \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The immigration crackdown has placed newfound scrutiny on the relationship between local governments and ICE. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In Escondido, a handful of protesters lined the street outside a Home Depot, waving signs reading “ICE OUT” to passing cars. The group began gathering every week after a series of sweeps in Home Depot parking lots across the region. They are demanding that the city of Escondido end a contract with ICE that allows federal immigration agents to train at a local firing range. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted last month to end similar contracts with ICE and Customs and Border Protection. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Desmond voted in opposition, but acknowledged that “ICE has overreached and overstepped.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Supreshma Riya, a freshman at California State University, San Marcos, said opposition to Trump’s immigration enforcement is the top issue motivating her vote. The San Diego native stopped by a voter registration drive on campus as she prepared to cast a ballot for the first time in November. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I think that the way that he’s handling the situation is inhumane,” Riya said. “I think people should be given fair chances and opportunities to make a difference in our country.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Opposition to the Biden administration’s border policy energized Republicans in 2024. But over time, Trump’s aggressive approach to immigration enforcement has chipped away at GOP support in the San Diego area, Kousser said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>North County is the last domino left standing in the region for the GOP. For decades, the area was represented in Congress by conservative stalwarts such as Duke Cunningham, Duncan Hunter and Issa. But a victory by Von Wilpert would give Democrats complete control of the county’s congressional delegation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This race could bring the culmination of the political transition of San Diego,” Kousser said.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "bay-area-officials-immigration-advocates-brace-for-ice-surge-after-central-valley-arrests",
"title": "Bay Area Officials, Immigration Advocates Brace for ICE Surge After Central Valley Arrests",
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"headTitle": "Bay Area Officials, Immigration Advocates Brace for ICE Surge After Central Valley Arrests | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>Bay Area \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/immigration\">immigration advocates\u003c/a> are bracing for a possible increase in ICE activity after more than 100 farmworkers and others were arrested in the Central Valley in recent days. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Since Monday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have arrested farmworkers heading to work in the morning and people out running errands in the San Joaquin Valley. Local officials said ICE does not appear to have warrants or be targeting individuals with criminal backgrounds or final deportation orders.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Although local rapid response agencies said Friday that they hadn’t yet seen increased ICE activity, there have been rumors and fears that the preelection surge could extend to Northern California.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We are definitely on the alert and preparing in case of increased ICE activity or large-scale raids in our region,” said Lourdes Martinez, co-director of the Alameda County Immigration Legal and Education Partnership, the county’s rapid response network. “We have not been able to verify any specifics, so we are monitoring the situation.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250718-RidealongRapidResponse-02-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12052237\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250718-RidealongRapidResponse-02-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250718-RidealongRapidResponse-02-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250718-RidealongRapidResponse-02-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A dispatcher for the Rapid Response Network gathers supplies at the group’s office in San José on July 21, 2025. The Rapid Response Network operates a hotline to mobilize volunteers and support immigrant families during ICE actions. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that “for operational security and the safety of our officers, ICE will not disclose or discuss law enforcement operations.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Every day, DHS enforces the laws of the nation across the country including in California,” a spokesperson wrote via email.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Martinez said lawyers are preparing in case of large-scale raids in the Bay Area, and outreach workers are sharing an \u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ACILEP-Safety-Planning-Checklist-for-Families-2026-9a7f4962.pdf\">“Emergency Planning Checklist for Families” \u003c/a>to help immigrants prepare in case a family member is arrested. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Milli Atkinson, director of the Immigrant Legal Defense Program at the San Francisco Bar Association, said the city is similarly monitoring ICE activity in the Central Valley but hasn’t seen any uptick in arrests so far.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Just anxiety from the community,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The United Farmworkers Foundation said Wednesday that it believes the raids “intensified” on Tuesday and continued later in the week. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Some arrests occurred near commercial centers that include Walmart, Vallarta Market and Home Depot,” the statement said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>State Sen. Anna Caballero, who represents parts of Fresno and Merced, said she had heard of an estimated 60 arrests this week within the communities she represents.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There are over 60 detainees, and the facility in downtown Fresno is having trouble processing,” Caballero’s spokesperson Elisa Rivera wrote to KQED. “Legal observers are having little success gaining access.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We also had a young person call our office after both of his parents were picked up,” Caballero said. “He did not know where to turn or what he was supposed to do.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In Fresno County’s city of Kerman alone, Mayor Maria Pacheco said eight residents were detained between Wednesday and Thursday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“These are people with families, jobs and lives here in Kerman,” she said. “As Mayor, I refuse to accept that residents should be afraid to carry out the most ordinary parts of their day.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Pacheco said she has been aiding affected families to locate their detained relatives and get legal assistance. She added that Kerman police do not work with ICE on immigration enforcement operations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Our local police officers have a different responsibility. They serve our residents, protect our community and work to keep Kerman safe,” she said. “What we are witnessing from ICE does the opposite.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1760\" height=\"1320\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/immigrants-central-valley-6751c0512ec92.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12016800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/immigrants-central-valley-6751c0512ec92.jpg 1760w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/immigrants-central-valley-6751c0512ec92-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/immigrants-central-valley-6751c0512ec92-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/immigrants-central-valley-6751c0512ec92-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/immigrants-central-valley-6751c0512ec92-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1760px) 100vw, 1760px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Maria Pacheco, mayor of Kerman, California, speaks at a press conference in Fresno calling for the protection of undocumented immigrants following President-elect Donald Trump’s win. (Esther Quintanilla/KVPR)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Four men were detained while getting pan dulce and coffee on their way to work,” Pacheco continued. “How does that make Kerman safer? …. Fear is not public safety.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>East Bay Rep. Lateefah Simon said in a statement that local elected leaders and community organizations will “stand by our communities and continue to be fully opposed to the Trump administration’s unwanted, unwarranted, and illegal immigration enforcement actions.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She said she believes Trump is trying to “intimidate, terrorize and tear apart immigrant families” before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Earlier this year, Trump claimed without proof that the DHS had identified more than \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/07/31/nx-s1-5906708/trump-claim-noncitizens-midterms-election-interference-voter-rolls\">250,000 non-U.S. citizens\u003c/a> on voter rolls between four states, including California, reigniting fears about whether the administration will interfere with vote-counting.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“My office has resources for immigrant communities to ensure everyone knows their rights and can assist in immigration casework,” she said in a statement. “We know what Republicans are trying to do — intimidate Latino citizens so they stay at home and don’t exercise their right to vote, and we will not stand for it.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We are definitely on the alert and preparing in case of increased ICE activity or large-scale raids in our region,” said Lourdes Martinez, co-director of the Alameda County Immigration Legal and Education Partnership, the county’s rapid response network. “We have not been able to verify any specifics, so we are monitoring the situation.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250718-RidealongRapidResponse-02-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12052237\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250718-RidealongRapidResponse-02-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250718-RidealongRapidResponse-02-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250718-RidealongRapidResponse-02-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A dispatcher for the Rapid Response Network gathers supplies at the group’s office in San José on July 21, 2025. The Rapid Response Network operates a hotline to mobilize volunteers and support immigrant families during ICE actions.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that “for operational security and the safety of our officers, ICE will not disclose or discuss law enforcement operations.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Every day, DHS enforces the laws of the nation across the country including in California,” a spokesperson wrote via email.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Martinez said lawyers are preparing in case of large-scale raids in the Bay Area, and outreach workers are sharing an \u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ACILEP-Safety-Planning-Checklist-for-Families-2026-9a7f4962.pdf\">“Emergency Planning Checklist for Families” \u003c/a>to help immigrants prepare in case a family member is arrested. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Martinez said lawyers are preparing in case of large-scale raids in the Bay Area, and outreach workers are sharing an \u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ACILEP-Safety-Planning-Checklist-for-Families-2026-9a7f4962.pdf\">“Emergency Planning Checklist for Families” \u003c/a>to help immigrants prepare in case a family member is arrested. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Milli Atkinson, director of the Immigrant Legal Defense Program at the San Francisco Bar Association, said the city is similarly monitoring ICE activity in the Central Valley but hasn’t seen any uptick in arrests so far.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Milli Atkinson, director of the Immigrant Legal Defense Program at the San Francisco Bar Association, said the city is similarly monitoring ICE activity in the Central Valley but hasn’t seen any uptick in arrests so far.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Just anxiety from the community,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The United Farmworkers Foundation said Wednesday that it believes the raids “intensified” on Tuesday and continued later in the week. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Some arrests occurred near commercial centers that include Walmart, Vallarta Market and Home Depot,” the statement said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>State Sen. Anna Caballero, who represents parts of Fresno and Merced, said she had heard of an estimated 60 arrests this week within the communities she represents.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There are over 60 detainees, and the facility in downtown Fresno is having trouble processing,” Caballero’s spokesperson Elisa Rivera wrote to KQED. “Legal observers are having little success gaining access.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We also had a young person call our office after both of his parents were picked up,” Caballero said. “He did not know where to turn or what he was supposed to do.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In Fresno County’s city of Kerman alone, Mayor Maria Pacheco said eight residents were detained between Wednesday and Thursday. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In Fresno County’s city of Kerman alone, Mayor Maria Pacheco said eight residents were detained between Wednesday and Thursday. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“These are people with families, jobs and lives here in Kerman,” she said. “As Mayor, I refuse to accept that residents should be afraid to carry out the most ordinary parts of their day.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“These are people with families, jobs and lives here in Kerman,” she said. “As Mayor, I refuse to accept that residents should be afraid to carry out the most ordinary parts of their day.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Pacheco said she has been aiding affected families to locate their detained relatives and get legal assistance. She added that Kerman police do not work with ICE on immigration enforcement operations. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Our local police officers have a different responsibility. They serve our residents, protect our community and work to keep Kerman safe,” she said. “What we are witnessing from ICE does the opposite.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Our local police officers have a different responsibility. They serve our residents, protect our community and work to keep Kerman safe,” she said. “What we are witnessing from ICE does the opposite.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/immigrants-central-valley-6751c0512ec92.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12016800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/immigrants-central-valley-6751c0512ec92.jpg 1760w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/immigrants-central-valley-6751c0512ec92-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/immigrants-central-valley-6751c0512ec92-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/immigrants-central-valley-6751c0512ec92-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/immigrants-central-valley-6751c0512ec92-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Maria Pacheco, mayor of Kerman, California, speaks at a press conference in Fresno calling for the protection of undocumented immigrants following President-elect Donald Trump’s win.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Esther Quintanilla/KVPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/immigrants-central-valley-6751c0512ec92.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12016800\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Maria Pacheco, mayor of Kerman, California, speaks at a press conference in Fresno calling for the protection of undocumented immigrants following President-elect Donald Trump’s win.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Esther Quintanilla/KVPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Four men were detained while getting pan dulce and coffee on their way to work,” Pacheco continued. “How does that make Kerman safer? …. Fear is not public safety.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>East Bay Rep. Lateefah Simon said in a statement that local elected leaders and community organizations will “stand by our communities and continue to be fully opposed to the Trump administration’s unwanted, unwarranted, and illegal immigration enforcement actions.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>East Bay Rep. Lateefah Simon said in a statement that local elected leaders and community organizations will “stand by our communities and continue to be fully opposed to the Trump administration’s unwanted, unwarranted, and illegal immigration enforcement actions.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She said she believes Trump is trying to “intimidate, terrorize and tear apart immigrant families” before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Earlier this year, Trump claimed without proof that the DHS had identified more than \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/07/31/nx-s1-5906708/trump-claim-noncitizens-midterms-election-interference-voter-rolls\">250,000 non-U.S. citizens\u003c/a> on voter rolls between four states, including California, reigniting fears about whether the administration will interfere with vote-counting.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Earlier this year, Trump claimed without proof that the DHS had identified more than \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/07/31/nx-s1-5906708/trump-claim-noncitizens-midterms-election-interference-voter-rolls\">250,000 non-U.S. citizens\u003c/a> on voter rolls between four states, including California, reigniting fears about whether the administration will interfere with vote-counting.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“My office has resources for immigrant communities to ensure everyone knows their rights and can assist in immigration casework,” she said in a statement. “We know what Republicans are trying to do — intimidate Latino citizens so they stay at home and don’t exercise their right to vote, and we will not stand for it.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "After a recent wave of ICE arrests in the Central Valley, Bay Area rapid response networks and lawmakers are closely monitoring the federal agency’s activity across counties.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Bay Area \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/immigration\">immigration advocates\u003c/a> are bracing for a possible increase in ICE activity after more than 100 farmworkers and others were arrested in the Central Valley in recent days. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Since Monday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have arrested farmworkers heading to work in the morning and people out running errands in the San Joaquin Valley. Local officials said ICE does not appear to have warrants or be targeting individuals with criminal backgrounds or final deportation orders.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Although local rapid response agencies said Friday that they hadn’t yet seen increased ICE activity, there have been rumors and fears that the preelection surge could extend to Northern California.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We are definitely on the alert and preparing in case of increased ICE activity or large-scale raids in our region,” said Lourdes Martinez, co-director of the Alameda County Immigration Legal and Education Partnership, the county’s rapid response network. “We have not been able to verify any specifics, so we are monitoring the situation.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250718-RidealongRapidResponse-02-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12052237\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250718-RidealongRapidResponse-02-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250718-RidealongRapidResponse-02-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250718-RidealongRapidResponse-02-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A dispatcher for the Rapid Response Network gathers supplies at the group’s office in San José on July 21, 2025. The Rapid Response Network operates a hotline to mobilize volunteers and support immigrant families during ICE actions. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that “for operational security and the safety of our officers, ICE will not disclose or discuss law enforcement operations.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Every day, DHS enforces the laws of the nation across the country including in California,” a spokesperson wrote via email.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Martinez said lawyers are preparing in case of large-scale raids in the Bay Area, and outreach workers are sharing an \u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ACILEP-Safety-Planning-Checklist-for-Families-2026-9a7f4962.pdf\">“Emergency Planning Checklist for Families” \u003c/a>to help immigrants prepare in case a family member is arrested. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Milli Atkinson, director of the Immigrant Legal Defense Program at the San Francisco Bar Association, said the city is similarly monitoring ICE activity in the Central Valley but hasn’t seen any uptick in arrests so far.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Just anxiety from the community,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The United Farmworkers Foundation said Wednesday that it believes the raids “intensified” on Tuesday and continued later in the week. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Some arrests occurred near commercial centers that include Walmart, Vallarta Market and Home Depot,” the statement said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>State Sen. Anna Caballero, who represents parts of Fresno and Merced, said she had heard of an estimated 60 arrests this week within the communities she represents.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There are over 60 detainees, and the facility in downtown Fresno is having trouble processing,” Caballero’s spokesperson Elisa Rivera wrote to KQED. “Legal observers are having little success gaining access.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We also had a young person call our office after both of his parents were picked up,” Caballero said. “He did not know where to turn or what he was supposed to do.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In Fresno County’s city of Kerman alone, Mayor Maria Pacheco said eight residents were detained between Wednesday and Thursday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“These are people with families, jobs and lives here in Kerman,” she said. “As Mayor, I refuse to accept that residents should be afraid to carry out the most ordinary parts of their day.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Pacheco said she has been aiding affected families to locate their detained relatives and get legal assistance. She added that Kerman police do not work with ICE on immigration enforcement operations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Our local police officers have a different responsibility. They serve our residents, protect our community and work to keep Kerman safe,” she said. “What we are witnessing from ICE does the opposite.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1760\" height=\"1320\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/immigrants-central-valley-6751c0512ec92.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12016800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/immigrants-central-valley-6751c0512ec92.jpg 1760w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/immigrants-central-valley-6751c0512ec92-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/immigrants-central-valley-6751c0512ec92-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/immigrants-central-valley-6751c0512ec92-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/immigrants-central-valley-6751c0512ec92-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1760px) 100vw, 1760px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Maria Pacheco, mayor of Kerman, California, speaks at a press conference in Fresno calling for the protection of undocumented immigrants following President-elect Donald Trump’s win. (Esther Quintanilla/KVPR)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Four men were detained while getting pan dulce and coffee on their way to work,” Pacheco continued. “How does that make Kerman safer? …. Fear is not public safety.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>East Bay Rep. Lateefah Simon said in a statement that local elected leaders and community organizations will “stand by our communities and continue to be fully opposed to the Trump administration’s unwanted, unwarranted, and illegal immigration enforcement actions.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She said she believes Trump is trying to “intimidate, terrorize and tear apart immigrant families” before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Earlier this year, Trump claimed without proof that the DHS had identified more than \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/07/31/nx-s1-5906708/trump-claim-noncitizens-midterms-election-interference-voter-rolls\">250,000 non-U.S. citizens\u003c/a> on voter rolls between four states, including California, reigniting fears about whether the administration will interfere with vote-counting.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“My office has resources for immigrant communities to ensure everyone knows their rights and can assist in immigration casework,” she said in a statement. “We know what Republicans are trying to do — intimidate Latino citizens so they stay at home and don’t exercise their right to vote, and we will not stand for it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "dropbox-near-me-san-francisco-bay-area-find-my-polling-place-election-day-voter-guide-california-midterm-elections-2026-vote-for-governor",
"title": "Election 2026: Where Can I Drop Off My Midterm Ballot — or Vote Early?",
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"headTitle": "Election 2026: Where Can I Drop Off My Midterm Ballot — or Vote Early? | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>California voters: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide\">the midterm elections are here\u003c/a>. And if you’re registered to vote, your ballot will be on its way in the next few days if it hasn’t already arrived — ahead of Election Day itself on Nov. 3.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wondering where to drop off your completed mail-in ballot in the Bay Area? Or where you can vote in person and find a polling place near you? What about if you prefer to vote on Election Day itself?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Keep reading for everything you need to know about submitting your vote in the California midterm elections. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#ballot-drop-off\">How to find your closest voting location or ballot drop-off\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#in-person\">How to find your polling place on Election Day\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#county\">How to contact your county directly about voting\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you’re concerned you might have made a mistake when filling out your ballot, you can \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103115/california-midterms-elections-2026-vote-for-governor-ballot-signature-how-to-correct-mistake\">read our guide to addressing common errors on your ballot \u003c/a>(\u003cem>before\u003c/em> you mail it) — and find out how to get a fresh ballot or vote in person if you really messed up.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can I drop off my ballot in a drop box or at a voting location?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Once you complete your mail-in ballot, you can drop it off at an official drop box instead of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103028/should-you-use-usps-to-mail-your-midterm-ballot-heres-what-california-election-officials-say\">mailing it via a U.S. Postal Service collection box\u003c/a>. These secure drop boxes will \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/general-election-november-3-2026\">open by Oct.5.\u003c/a> Once you’ve placed your ballot into one of these drop boxes, it’ll then be taken straight to your county elections office.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>You can also hand-deliver your ballot to any open voting location. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/general-election-november-3-2026\">The first vote centers open \u003c/a>Oct. 24 in certain counties, with more early voting locations opening Oct. 31.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/014_Oakland_ItzelDiazandFamily_09092021_qed-06c984cf.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103658\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/014_Oakland_ItzelDiazandFamily_09092021_qed-06c984cf.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/014_Oakland_ItzelDiazandFamily_09092021_qed-06c984cf-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/014_Oakland_ItzelDiazandFamily_09092021_qed-06c984cf-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Itzel Diaz drops off her ballot for California’s gubernatorial recall election at a ballot dropbox in Fruitvale on Sept. 9, 2021. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Submitting your ballot by hand this way is the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103028/should-you-use-usps-to-mail-your-midterm-ballot-heres-what-california-election-officials-say\">top recommendation\u003c/a> of Kim Alexander, president and founder of the non-partisan California Voter Foundation. If you live in \u003ca href=\"https://calvoter.org/content/sign-scan-and-go\">one of the California counties\u003c/a> which has adopted the “Sign & Go” system — which in the Bay Area are Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin and Napa — you can complete your ballot at at home, and then bring it to a participating vote center and sign the voter roster under penalty of perjury (just as you would for in-person voting) to submit it in person. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And if you live in a county which has adopted “Sign, Scan & Go”, like San Mateo, you can do all of the above and then scan your ballot yourself to have your vote recorded immediately at the voting site. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>You can also, of course, fill your ballot out in-person \u003cem>at \u003c/em>a voting location, and submit it directly there and then. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A few reasons the effort to hand-deliver your completed ballot instead of mailing it might be worth it:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Peace of mind:\u003c/strong> There’s a satisfaction that comes with knowing your ballot should now travel straight to your county elections office rather than going through USPS collection and sorting for delivery\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Timing:\u003c/strong> If it’s Election Day itself, using a drop box or a voting location to drop off your ballot is the best way to be sure it’ll reach your county elections office in time to be counted\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Assistance:\u003c/strong> If you drop off your ballot at a voting location during operating hours and you have a few lingering questions about your ballot or the process, chances are good that you’ll find someone there to help answer them.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Regardless of how you deliver it, you can \u003ca href=\"https://california.ballottrax.net/voter/\">sign up to track your ballot’s progress with the “Where’s My Ballot?” online tool\u003c/a> and be reassured it’s on its way to being counted.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can’t I just mail my ballot through the Postal Service?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yes, you can mail your completed ballot via the U.S. Postal Service at any regular collection box — but it’s best to do this early. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The envelope is postage paid, so it doesn’t require a stamp, and it’ll be counted as long as it’s\u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections\"> postmarked by Election Day and arrives at your county registrar’s office by Nov. 3\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Be aware that when it comes to using USPS, in the last two statewide elections, Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Attorney General Rob Bonta urged any voters planning to mail in their ballots \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-and-secretary-state-weber-sacramento-vote-early-june\">at \u003cem>least \u003c/em>a week before Election Day\u003c/a> — to account for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103028/should-you-use-usps-to-mail-your-midterm-ballot-heres-what-california-election-officials-say\">changes in the way USPS is collected\u003c/a> and postmarked in many areas. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If it’s Election Day itself, for peace of mind that your ballot will reach your county elections office in time to be counted, you should drop off your ballot in an official drop box or voting location instead of using USPS (see above).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you can’t do that, Weber’s office is recommending you \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/vote-mail\">“get a hand-stamped postmark\u003c/a> from a postal employee inside a United States Post Office” rather than simply dropping it in a USPS collection box on Election Day. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And if you really have to use a collection box, be \u003cem>very\u003c/em> sure you don’t miss the last collection time for that specific mailbox (which at many locations is 5 p.m. or earlier). You also shouldn’t drop off your ballot on Election Day at a post office that’s already closed — since doing either of these things will mean your ballot will not be postmarked on Election Day and it won’t be counted when it reaches your county’s election office.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103028/should-you-use-usps-to-mail-your-midterm-ballot-heres-what-california-election-officials-say\">Read more about what California election officials say about using USPS this election season.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"in-person\">Where can I vote in person on Election Day?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On Election Day, in-person voting is still available at every county registrar’s office (also known as your county’s elections office) in the Bay Area. If you’re a San Francisco voter, this location will be City Hall. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting-resources/county-elections-offices\">Find your county registrar’s office and opening hours.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Check your mail-in ballot to see where you can vote and whether you’ve been assigned a specific polling place.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/004_Oakland_ItzelDiazandFamily_09092021_qed-1-b4fd4fcf.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103661\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/004_Oakland_ItzelDiazandFamily_09092021_qed-1-b4fd4fcf.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/004_Oakland_ItzelDiazandFamily_09092021_qed-1-b4fd4fcf-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/004_Oakland_ItzelDiazandFamily_09092021_qed-1-b4fd4fcf-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Porfirio Diaz fills out his mail-in ballot for California’s gubernatorial recall election at his home in Oakland on Sept. 9, 2021. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>If you live in San Francisco, Contra Costa or Solano counties:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>You are assigned a specific polling place, though Contra Costa County election officials say they can process your ballot no matter where you show up to vote.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But even if you live in a county that assigns you a particular polling place, you can still vote at \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting-resources/county-elections-offices\">your county registrar’s office\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>If you live in Alameda, Marin, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara or Sonoma counties:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>You can vote at any voting location — known as Vote Centers — including your county registrar’s office.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>You can \u003ca href=\"https://caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov/\">find your voting location through the state’s lookup tool\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Do I need to bring my ballot with me?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you’d like to cast a ballot in person, it’s a good idea to bring the blank ballot you were mailed, as some counties may require you to vote provisionally if you don’t bring it. If you’re issued a new ballot when you vote in person, any ballot you left at home will be canceled.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Provisional votes are subject to extra checks — confirming that you’re actually registered to vote in California, or that you didn’t already complete and mail your ballot — and this extra layer of confirmation takes time. That means that although your vote will eventually be counted, it might not be tallied on Election Day itself.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">I still need to register to vote. What should I do? Can I do this on Election Day?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The official deadline to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/\">register online to vote \u003c/a>is Monday, Oct. 19.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Remember, if you’ve changed your name or want to change the political party choice you previously registered to vote with or you moved address, you’ll need to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/\">re-register\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2121\" height=\"1414\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-2042927844.jpg\" alt=\"Two Black women standing and looking at a clipboard over a table and signs that say "Vote" with other people waiting in line behind the woman with the red shirt.\" class=\"wp-image-12010427\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-2042927844.jpg 2121w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-2042927844-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-2042927844-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-2042927844-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-2042927844-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-2042927844-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-2042927844-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2121px) 100vw, 2121px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The official deadline to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/\">register online to vote \u003c/a>is Monday, Oct. 19. (Drazen Zigic via iStock/Getty Images Plus)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But if you miss the deadline to register, don’t panic: After Oct. 19, you can still complete the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/same-day-reg/\">same-day voter registration\u003c/a> process (also known as “conditional voting”) and request your ballot in person at your county elections office or polling location. This system enables you to fill out and submit your ballot then and there, up until when polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In addition to voter registration, many voting locations also offer replacement ballots, accessible voting machines and language assistance.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"ballot-drop-off\">How can I find my voting location or ballot drop-off?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Secure drop boxes \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/general-election-november-3-2026\">open by Oct. 5, and the first vote centers open \u003c/a>Oct. 24 in certain counties, with more early voting locations opening Oct. 31.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Visit the \u003ca href=\"https://caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov/\">state of California lookup tool\u003c/a>, where you can:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>Enter your county (adding your city or ZIP code will give more localized results, but it’s optional)\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Check the “Early Voting” and/or “Drop Off Location” boxes\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Hit “Search” to see all the early voting and drop-off locations in that area.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Remember that in-person voting hours may differ by location, and some locations may not be open every day.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"county\">How can I contact my county directly about voting?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Across the Bay Area, elections officials are encouraging voters to reach out — early — with any questions or concerns. Here’s the contact information for your county:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://acvote.alamedacountyca.gov/index\">\u003cstrong>Alameda\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: For information about voting by mail, registration and polling place lookup, call 510-267-8683\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.contracostavote.gov/elections/\">\u003cstrong>Contra Costa\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 925-335-7800 or email voter.services@vote.cccounty.us\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.marincounty.org/depts/rv\">\u003cstrong>Marin\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 415-473-6456 or go to the Marin County elections webpage to \u003ca href=\"https://www.marincounty.org/depts/rv/contact-us\">send a form email\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.countyofnapa.org/396/Elections\">\u003cstrong>Napa\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 707-253-4321 or email the elections office at elections@countyofnapa.org\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfelections.sfgov.org\">\u003cstrong>San Francisco\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 415-554-4375 or email sfvote@sfgov.org\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.smcacre.org/elections\">\u003cstrong>San Mateo\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 888-762-8683 or email registrar@smcacre.org\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sccgov.org/sites/rov/Pages/Registrar-of-Voters.aspx\">\u003cstrong>Santa Clara\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call toll-free at 866-430-VOTE (8683) or email registrar@rov.sccgov.org\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.solanocounty.com/depts/rov/default.asp\">\u003cstrong>Solano\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>: \u003c/strong>Call 707-784-6675 or 888-933-VOTE (8683). You can also email elections@solanocounty.com\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/CRA/Registrar-of-Voters/\">\u003cstrong>Sonoma\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 707-565-6800 or toll-free at 800-750-8683\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The state also has a full list of \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting-resources/county-elections-offices/\">every county elections office in California\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Wondering where to drop off your completed mail-in ballot in the Bay Area? Or where you can vote in person and find a polling place near you? What about if you prefer to vote on Election Day itself?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Keep reading for everything you need to know about submitting your vote in the California midterm elections. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n"
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"How to find your polling place on Election Day",
"How to contact your county directly about voting"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#ballot-drop-off\">How to find your closest voting location or ballot drop-off\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#ballot-drop-off\">How to find your closest voting location or ballot drop-off\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#in-person\">How to find your polling place on Election Day\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#in-person\">How to find your polling place on Election Day\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#county\">How to contact your county directly about voting\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#county\">How to contact your county directly about voting\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you’re concerned you might have made a mistake when filling out your ballot, you can \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103115/california-midterms-elections-2026-vote-for-governor-ballot-signature-how-to-correct-mistake\">read our guide to addressing common errors on your ballot \u003c/a>(\u003cem>before\u003c/em> you mail it) — and find out how to get a fresh ballot or vote in person if you really messed up.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>If you’re concerned you might have made a mistake when filling out your ballot, you can \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103115/california-midterms-elections-2026-vote-for-governor-ballot-signature-how-to-correct-mistake\">read our guide to addressing common errors on your ballot \u003c/a>(\u003cem>before\u003c/em> you mail it) — and find out how to get a fresh ballot or vote in person if you really messed up.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Can I drop off my ballot in a drop box or at a voting location?",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can I drop off my ballot in a drop box or at a voting location?\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Once you complete your mail-in ballot, you can drop it off at an official drop box instead of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103028/should-you-use-usps-to-mail-your-midterm-ballot-heres-what-california-election-officials-say\">mailing it via a U.S. Postal Service collection box\u003c/a>. These secure drop boxes will \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/general-election-november-3-2026\">open by Oct.5.\u003c/a> Once you’ve placed your ballot into one of these drop boxes, it’ll then be taken straight to your county elections office.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Once you complete your mail-in ballot, you can drop it off at an official drop box instead of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103028/should-you-use-usps-to-mail-your-midterm-ballot-heres-what-california-election-officials-say\">mailing it via a U.S. Postal Service collection box\u003c/a>. These secure drop boxes will \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/general-election-november-3-2026\">open by Oct.5.\u003c/a> Once you’ve placed your ballot into one of these drop boxes, it’ll then be taken straight to your county elections office.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>You can also hand-deliver your ballot to any open voting location. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/general-election-november-3-2026\">The first vote centers open \u003c/a>Oct. 24 in certain counties, with more early voting locations opening Oct. 31.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>You can also hand-deliver your ballot to any open voting location. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/general-election-november-3-2026\">The first vote centers open \u003c/a>Oct. 24 in certain counties, with more early voting locations opening Oct. 31.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/014_Oakland_ItzelDiazandFamily_09092021_qed-06c984cf.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103658\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/014_Oakland_ItzelDiazandFamily_09092021_qed-06c984cf.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/014_Oakland_ItzelDiazandFamily_09092021_qed-06c984cf-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/014_Oakland_ItzelDiazandFamily_09092021_qed-06c984cf-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Itzel Diaz drops off her ballot for California’s gubernatorial recall election at a ballot dropbox in Fruitvale on Sept. 9, 2021.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/014_Oakland_ItzelDiazandFamily_09092021_qed-06c984cf.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103658\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Itzel Diaz drops off her ballot for California’s gubernatorial recall election at a ballot dropbox in Fruitvale on Sept. 9, 2021.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Submitting your ballot by hand this way is the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103028/should-you-use-usps-to-mail-your-midterm-ballot-heres-what-california-election-officials-say\">top recommendation\u003c/a> of Kim Alexander, president and founder of the non-partisan California Voter Foundation. If you live in \u003ca href=\"https://calvoter.org/content/sign-scan-and-go\">one of the California counties\u003c/a> which has adopted the “Sign & Go” system — which in the Bay Area are Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin and Napa — you can complete your ballot at at home, and then bring it to a participating vote center and sign the voter roster under penalty of perjury (just as you would for in-person voting) to submit it in person. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Submitting your ballot by hand this way is the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103028/should-you-use-usps-to-mail-your-midterm-ballot-heres-what-california-election-officials-say\">top recommendation\u003c/a> of Kim Alexander, president and founder of the non-partisan California Voter Foundation. If you live in \u003ca href=\"https://calvoter.org/content/sign-scan-and-go\">one of the California counties\u003c/a> which has adopted the “Sign & Go” system — which in the Bay Area are Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin and Napa — you can complete your ballot at at home, and then bring it to a participating vote center and sign the voter roster under penalty of perjury (just as you would for in-person voting) to submit it in person. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And if you live in a county which has adopted “Sign, Scan & Go”, like San Mateo, you can do all of the above and then scan your ballot yourself to have your vote recorded immediately at the voting site. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And if you live in a county which has adopted “Sign, Scan & Go”, like San Mateo, you can do all of the above and then scan your ballot yourself to have your vote recorded immediately at the voting site. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>You can also, of course, fill your ballot out in-person \u003cem>at \u003c/em>a voting location, and submit it directly there and then. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A few reasons the effort to hand-deliver your completed ballot instead of mailing it might be worth it:\u003c/p>\n",
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"Peace of mind: There’s a satisfaction that comes with knowing your ballot should now travel straight to your county elections office rather than going through USPS collection and sorting for delivery",
"Timing: If it’s Election Day itself, using a drop box or a voting location to drop off your ballot is the best way to be sure it’ll reach your county elections office in time to be counted",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Peace of mind:\u003c/strong> There’s a satisfaction that comes with knowing your ballot should now travel straight to your county elections office rather than going through USPS collection and sorting for delivery\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Peace of mind:\u003c/strong> There’s a satisfaction that comes with knowing your ballot should now travel straight to your county elections office rather than going through USPS collection and sorting for delivery\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Timing:\u003c/strong> If it’s Election Day itself, using a drop box or a voting location to drop off your ballot is the best way to be sure it’ll reach your county elections office in time to be counted\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Timing:\u003c/strong> If it’s Election Day itself, using a drop box or a voting location to drop off your ballot is the best way to be sure it’ll reach your county elections office in time to be counted\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Assistance:\u003c/strong> If you drop off your ballot at a voting location during operating hours and you have a few lingering questions about your ballot or the process, chances are good that you’ll find someone there to help answer them.\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Assistance:\u003c/strong> If you drop off your ballot at a voting location during operating hours and you have a few lingering questions about your ballot or the process, chances are good that you’ll find someone there to help answer them.\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Regardless of how you deliver it, you can \u003ca href=\"https://california.ballottrax.net/voter/\">sign up to track your ballot’s progress with the “Where’s My Ballot?” online tool\u003c/a> and be reassured it’s on its way to being counted.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Regardless of how you deliver it, you can \u003ca href=\"https://california.ballottrax.net/voter/\">sign up to track your ballot’s progress with the “Where’s My Ballot?” online tool\u003c/a> and be reassured it’s on its way to being counted.\u003c/p>\n"
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"attrs": {
"text": "Can’t I just mail my ballot through the Postal Service?",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Yes, you can mail your completed ballot via the U.S. Postal Service at any regular collection box — but it’s best to do this early. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Yes, you can mail your completed ballot via the U.S. Postal Service at any regular collection box — but it’s best to do this early. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The envelope is postage paid, so it doesn’t require a stamp, and it’ll be counted as long as it’s\u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections\"> postmarked by Election Day and arrives at your county registrar’s office by Nov. 3\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The envelope is postage paid, so it doesn’t require a stamp, and it’ll be counted as long as it’s\u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections\"> postmarked by Election Day and arrives at your county registrar’s office by Nov. 3\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Be aware that when it comes to using USPS, in the last two statewide elections, Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Attorney General Rob Bonta urged any voters planning to mail in their ballots \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-and-secretary-state-weber-sacramento-vote-early-june\">at \u003cem>least \u003c/em>a week before Election Day\u003c/a> — to account for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103028/should-you-use-usps-to-mail-your-midterm-ballot-heres-what-california-election-officials-say\">changes in the way USPS is collected\u003c/a> and postmarked in many areas. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Be aware that when it comes to using USPS, in the last two statewide elections, Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Attorney General Rob Bonta urged any voters planning to mail in their ballots \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-and-secretary-state-weber-sacramento-vote-early-june\">at \u003cem>least \u003c/em>a week before Election Day\u003c/a> — to account for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103028/should-you-use-usps-to-mail-your-midterm-ballot-heres-what-california-election-officials-say\">changes in the way USPS is collected\u003c/a> and postmarked in many areas. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If it’s Election Day itself, for peace of mind that your ballot will reach your county elections office in time to be counted, you should drop off your ballot in an official drop box or voting location instead of using USPS (see above).\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>If it’s Election Day itself, for peace of mind that your ballot will reach your county elections office in time to be counted, you should drop off your ballot in an official drop box or voting location instead of using USPS (see above).\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you can’t do that, Weber’s office is recommending you \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/vote-mail\">“get a hand-stamped postmark\u003c/a> from a postal employee inside a United States Post Office” rather than simply dropping it in a USPS collection box on Election Day. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>If you can’t do that, Weber’s office is recommending you \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/vote-mail\">“get a hand-stamped postmark\u003c/a> from a postal employee inside a United States Post Office” rather than simply dropping it in a USPS collection box on Election Day. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And if you really have to use a collection box, be \u003cem>very\u003c/em> sure you don’t miss the last collection time for that specific mailbox (which at many locations is 5 p.m. or earlier). You also shouldn’t drop off your ballot on Election Day at a post office that’s already closed — since doing either of these things will mean your ballot will not be postmarked on Election Day and it won’t be counted when it reaches your county’s election office.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>And if you really have to use a collection box, be \u003cem>very\u003c/em> sure you don’t miss the last collection time for that specific mailbox (which at many locations is 5 p.m. or earlier). You also shouldn’t drop off your ballot on Election Day at a post office that’s already closed — since doing either of these things will mean your ballot will not be postmarked on Election Day and it won’t be counted when it reaches your county’s election office.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103028/should-you-use-usps-to-mail-your-midterm-ballot-heres-what-california-election-officials-say\">Read more about what California election officials say about using USPS this election season.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103028/should-you-use-usps-to-mail-your-midterm-ballot-heres-what-california-election-officials-say\">Read more about what California election officials say about using USPS this election season.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Where can I vote in person on Election Day?",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"in-person\">Where can I vote in person on Election Day?\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"in-person\">Where can I vote in person on Election Day?\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On Election Day, in-person voting is still available at every county registrar’s office (also known as your county’s elections office) in the Bay Area. If you’re a San Francisco voter, this location will be City Hall. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting-resources/county-elections-offices\">Find your county registrar’s office and opening hours.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>On Election Day, in-person voting is still available at every county registrar’s office (also known as your county’s elections office) in the Bay Area. If you’re a San Francisco voter, this location will be City Hall. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting-resources/county-elections-offices\">Find your county registrar’s office and opening hours.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Check your mail-in ballot to see where you can vote and whether you’ve been assigned a specific polling place.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Check your mail-in ballot to see where you can vote and whether you’ve been assigned a specific polling place.\u003c/p>\n"
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"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/004_Oakland_ItzelDiazandFamily_09092021_qed-1-b4fd4fcf.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/004_Oakland_ItzelDiazandFamily_09092021_qed-1-b4fd4fcf-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/004_Oakland_ItzelDiazandFamily_09092021_qed-1-b4fd4fcf-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/004_Oakland_ItzelDiazandFamily_09092021_qed-1-b4fd4fcf.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103661\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/004_Oakland_ItzelDiazandFamily_09092021_qed-1-b4fd4fcf.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/004_Oakland_ItzelDiazandFamily_09092021_qed-1-b4fd4fcf-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/004_Oakland_ItzelDiazandFamily_09092021_qed-1-b4fd4fcf-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Porfirio Diaz fills out his mail-in ballot for California’s gubernatorial recall election at his home in Oakland on Sept. 9, 2021.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/004_Oakland_ItzelDiazandFamily_09092021_qed-1-b4fd4fcf.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103661\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Porfirio Diaz fills out his mail-in ballot for California’s gubernatorial recall election at his home in Oakland on Sept. 9, 2021.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>If you live in San Francisco, Contra Costa or Solano counties:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>If you live in San Francisco, Contra Costa or Solano counties:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n"
],
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{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>You are assigned a specific polling place, though Contra Costa County election officials say they can process your ballot no matter where you show up to vote.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>You are assigned a specific polling place, though Contra Costa County election officials say they can process your ballot no matter where you show up to vote.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But even if you live in a county that assigns you a particular polling place, you can still vote at \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting-resources/county-elections-offices\">your county registrar’s office\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>But even if you live in a county that assigns you a particular polling place, you can still vote at \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting-resources/county-elections-offices\">your county registrar’s office\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>If you live in Alameda, Marin, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara or Sonoma counties:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>If you live in Alameda, Marin, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara or Sonoma counties:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n"
],
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},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>You can vote at any voting location — known as Vote Centers — including your county registrar’s office.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>You can vote at any voting location — known as Vote Centers — including your county registrar’s office.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>You can \u003ca href=\"https://caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov/\">find your voting location through the state’s lookup tool\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>You can \u003ca href=\"https://caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov/\">find your voting location through the state’s lookup tool\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
],
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{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Do I need to bring my ballot with me?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Do I need to bring my ballot with me?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you’d like to cast a ballot in person, it’s a good idea to bring the blank ballot you were mailed, as some counties may require you to vote provisionally if you don’t bring it. If you’re issued a new ballot when you vote in person, any ballot you left at home will be canceled.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>If you’d like to cast a ballot in person, it’s a good idea to bring the blank ballot you were mailed, as some counties may require you to vote provisionally if you don’t bring it. If you’re issued a new ballot when you vote in person, any ballot you left at home will be canceled.\u003c/p>\n"
],
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{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Provisional votes are subject to extra checks — confirming that you’re actually registered to vote in California, or that you didn’t already complete and mail your ballot — and this extra layer of confirmation takes time. That means that although your vote will eventually be counted, it might not be tallied on Election Day itself.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Provisional votes are subject to extra checks — confirming that you’re actually registered to vote in California, or that you didn’t already complete and mail your ballot — and this extra layer of confirmation takes time. That means that although your vote will eventually be counted, it might not be tallied on Election Day itself.\u003c/p>\n"
],
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "I still need to register to vote. What should I do? Can I do this on Election Day?",
"level": 2
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">I still need to register to vote. What should I do? Can I do this on Election Day?\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">I still need to register to vote. What should I do? Can I do this on Election Day?\u003c/h2>\n"
],
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},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The official deadline to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/\">register online to vote \u003c/a>is Monday, Oct. 19.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The official deadline to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/\">register online to vote \u003c/a>is Monday, Oct. 19.\u003c/p>\n"
],
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{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Remember, if you’ve changed your name or want to change the political party choice you previously registered to vote with or you moved address, you’ll need to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/\">re-register\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Remember, if you’ve changed your name or want to change the political party choice you previously registered to vote with or you moved address, you’ll need to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/\">re-register\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
],
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{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12010427,
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"alt": "Two Black women standing and looking at a clipboard over a table and signs that say \"Vote\" with other people waiting in line behind the woman with the red shirt.",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-2042927844.jpg 2121w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-2042927844-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-2042927844-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-2042927844-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-2042927844-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-2042927844-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-2042927844-1920x1280.jpg 1920w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-2042927844.jpg\" alt=\"Two Black women standing and looking at a clipboard over a table and signs that say "Vote" with other people waiting in line behind the woman with the red shirt.\" class=\"wp-image-12010427\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-2042927844.jpg 2121w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-2042927844-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-2042927844-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-2042927844-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-2042927844-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-2042927844-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-2042927844-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The official deadline to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/\">register online to vote \u003c/a>is Monday, Oct. 19.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Drazen Zigic via iStock/Getty Images Plus)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-2042927844.jpg\" alt=\"Two Black women standing and looking at a clipboard over a table and signs that say "Vote" with other people waiting in line behind the woman with the red shirt.\" class=\"wp-image-12010427\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The official deadline to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/\">register online to vote \u003c/a>is Monday, Oct. 19.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Drazen Zigic via iStock/Getty Images Plus)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But if you miss the deadline to register, don’t panic: After Oct. 19, you can still complete the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/same-day-reg/\">same-day voter registration\u003c/a> process (also known as “conditional voting”) and request your ballot in person at your county elections office or polling location. This system enables you to fill out and submit your ballot then and there, up until when polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>But if you miss the deadline to register, don’t panic: After Oct. 19, you can still complete the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/same-day-reg/\">same-day voter registration\u003c/a> process (also known as “conditional voting”) and request your ballot in person at your county elections office or polling location. This system enables you to fill out and submit your ballot then and there, up until when polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day.\u003c/p>\n"
],
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{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In addition to voter registration, many voting locations also offer replacement ballots, accessible voting machines and language assistance.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In addition to voter registration, many voting locations also offer replacement ballots, accessible voting machines and language assistance.\u003c/p>\n"
],
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},
{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "How can I find my voting location or ballot drop-off?",
"level": 2
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"ballot-drop-off\">How can I find my voting location or ballot drop-off?\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"ballot-drop-off\">How can I find my voting location or ballot drop-off?\u003c/h2>\n"
],
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},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Secure drop boxes \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/general-election-november-3-2026\">open by Oct. 5, and the first vote centers open \u003c/a>Oct. 24 in certain counties, with more early voting locations opening Oct. 31.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Secure drop boxes \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/general-election-november-3-2026\">open by Oct. 5, and the first vote centers open \u003c/a>Oct. 24 in certain counties, with more early voting locations opening Oct. 31.\u003c/p>\n"
],
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{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Visit the \u003ca href=\"https://caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov/\">state of California lookup tool\u003c/a>, where you can:\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Visit the \u003ca href=\"https://caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov/\">state of California lookup tool\u003c/a>, where you can:\u003c/p>\n"
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{
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"attrs": {
"items": [
"Enter your county (adding your city or ZIP code will give more localized results, but it’s optional)",
"Check the “Early Voting” and/or “Drop Off Location” boxes",
"Hit “Search” to see all the early voting and drop-off locations in that area."
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n\n\n\u003c/ul>\n",
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"\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">",
null,
"\n\n",
null,
"\n\n",
null,
"\u003c/ul>\n"
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"innerBlocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/list-item",
"attrs": [],
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Enter your county (adding your city or ZIP code will give more localized results, but it’s optional)\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>Enter your county (adding your city or ZIP code will give more localized results, but it’s optional)\u003c/li>\n"
]
},
{
"blockName": "core/list-item",
"attrs": [],
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Check the “Early Voting” and/or “Drop Off Location” boxes\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>Check the “Early Voting” and/or “Drop Off Location” boxes\u003c/li>\n"
]
},
{
"blockName": "core/list-item",
"attrs": [],
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Hit “Search” to see all the early voting and drop-off locations in that area.\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>Hit “Search” to see all the early voting and drop-off locations in that area.\u003c/li>\n"
]
}
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{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Remember that in-person voting hours may differ by location, and some locations may not be open every day.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Remember that in-person voting hours may differ by location, and some locations may not be open every day.\u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "How can I contact my county directly about voting?",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"county\">How can I contact my county directly about voting?\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"county\">How can I contact my county directly about voting?\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Across the Bay Area, elections officials are encouraging voters to reach out — early — with any questions or concerns. Here’s the contact information for your county:\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Across the Bay Area, elections officials are encouraging voters to reach out — early — with any questions or concerns. Here’s the contact information for your county:\u003c/p>\n"
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"Alameda: For information about voting by mail, registration and polling place lookup, call 510-267-8683",
"Contra Costa: Call 925-335-7800 or email voter.services@vote.cccounty.us",
"Marin: Call 415-473-6456 or go to the Marin County elections webpage to send a form email",
"Napa: Call 707-253-4321 or email the elections office at elections@countyofnapa.org",
"San Francisco: Call 415-554-4375 or email sfvote@sfgov.org",
"San Mateo: Call 888-762-8683 or email registrar@smcacre.org",
"Santa Clara: Call toll-free at 866-430-VOTE (8683) or email registrar@rov.sccgov.org",
"Solano: Call 707-784-6675 or 888-933-VOTE (8683). You can also email elections@solanocounty.com",
"Sonoma: Call 707-565-6800 or toll-free at 800-750-8683"
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null,
"\n\n",
null,
"\n\n",
null,
"\n\n",
null,
"\n\n",
null,
"\n\n",
null,
"\n\n",
null,
"\n\n",
null,
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null,
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://acvote.alamedacountyca.gov/index\">\u003cstrong>Alameda\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: For information about voting by mail, registration and polling place lookup, call 510-267-8683\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://acvote.alamedacountyca.gov/index\">\u003cstrong>Alameda\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: For information about voting by mail, registration and polling place lookup, call 510-267-8683\u003c/li>\n"
]
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.contracostavote.gov/elections/\">\u003cstrong>Contra Costa\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 925-335-7800 or email voter.services@vote.cccounty.us\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.contracostavote.gov/elections/\">\u003cstrong>Contra Costa\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 925-335-7800 or email voter.services@vote.cccounty.us\u003c/li>\n"
]
},
{
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.marincounty.org/depts/rv\">\u003cstrong>Marin\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 415-473-6456 or go to the Marin County elections webpage to \u003ca href=\"https://www.marincounty.org/depts/rv/contact-us\">send a form email\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.marincounty.org/depts/rv\">\u003cstrong>Marin\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 415-473-6456 or go to the Marin County elections webpage to \u003ca href=\"https://www.marincounty.org/depts/rv/contact-us\">send a form email\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n"
]
},
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.countyofnapa.org/396/Elections\">\u003cstrong>Napa\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 707-253-4321 or email the elections office at elections@countyofnapa.org\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.countyofnapa.org/396/Elections\">\u003cstrong>Napa\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 707-253-4321 or email the elections office at elections@countyofnapa.org\u003c/li>\n"
]
},
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfelections.sfgov.org\">\u003cstrong>San Francisco\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 415-554-4375 or email sfvote@sfgov.org\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfelections.sfgov.org\">\u003cstrong>San Francisco\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 415-554-4375 or email sfvote@sfgov.org\u003c/li>\n"
]
},
{
"blockName": "core/list-item",
"attrs": [],
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.smcacre.org/elections\">\u003cstrong>San Mateo\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 888-762-8683 or email registrar@smcacre.org\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.smcacre.org/elections\">\u003cstrong>San Mateo\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 888-762-8683 or email registrar@smcacre.org\u003c/li>\n"
]
},
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sccgov.org/sites/rov/Pages/Registrar-of-Voters.aspx\">\u003cstrong>Santa Clara\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call toll-free at 866-430-VOTE (8683) or email registrar@rov.sccgov.org\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sccgov.org/sites/rov/Pages/Registrar-of-Voters.aspx\">\u003cstrong>Santa Clara\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call toll-free at 866-430-VOTE (8683) or email registrar@rov.sccgov.org\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.solanocounty.com/depts/rov/default.asp\">\u003cstrong>Solano\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>: \u003c/strong>Call 707-784-6675 or 888-933-VOTE (8683). You can also email elections@solanocounty.com\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.solanocounty.com/depts/rov/default.asp\">\u003cstrong>Solano\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>: \u003c/strong>Call 707-784-6675 or 888-933-VOTE (8683). You can also email elections@solanocounty.com\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/CRA/Registrar-of-Voters/\">\u003cstrong>Sonoma\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 707-565-6800 or toll-free at 800-750-8683\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/CRA/Registrar-of-Voters/\">\u003cstrong>Sonoma\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 707-565-6800 or toll-free at 800-750-8683\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The state also has a full list of \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting-resources/county-elections-offices/\">every county elections office in California\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The state also has a full list of \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting-resources/county-elections-offices/\">every county elections office in California\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "Where to find a ballot drop box near you in the Bay Area, whether you should use USPS to mail your primary ballot and how you can vote early.",
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"title": "Election 2026: Where Can I Drop Off My Midterm Ballot — or Vote Early? | KQED",
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"headline": "Election 2026: Where Can I Drop Off My Midterm Ballot — or Vote Early?",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>California voters: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide\">the midterm elections are here\u003c/a>. And if you’re registered to vote, your ballot will be on its way in the next few days if it hasn’t already arrived — ahead of Election Day itself on Nov. 3.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wondering where to drop off your completed mail-in ballot in the Bay Area? Or where you can vote in person and find a polling place near you? What about if you prefer to vote on Election Day itself?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Keep reading for everything you need to know about submitting your vote in the California midterm elections. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#ballot-drop-off\">How to find your closest voting location or ballot drop-off\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#in-person\">How to find your polling place on Election Day\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#county\">How to contact your county directly about voting\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you’re concerned you might have made a mistake when filling out your ballot, you can \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103115/california-midterms-elections-2026-vote-for-governor-ballot-signature-how-to-correct-mistake\">read our guide to addressing common errors on your ballot \u003c/a>(\u003cem>before\u003c/em> you mail it) — and find out how to get a fresh ballot or vote in person if you really messed up.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can I drop off my ballot in a drop box or at a voting location?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Once you complete your mail-in ballot, you can drop it off at an official drop box instead of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103028/should-you-use-usps-to-mail-your-midterm-ballot-heres-what-california-election-officials-say\">mailing it via a U.S. Postal Service collection box\u003c/a>. These secure drop boxes will \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/general-election-november-3-2026\">open by Oct.5.\u003c/a> Once you’ve placed your ballot into one of these drop boxes, it’ll then be taken straight to your county elections office.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>You can also hand-deliver your ballot to any open voting location. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/general-election-november-3-2026\">The first vote centers open \u003c/a>Oct. 24 in certain counties, with more early voting locations opening Oct. 31.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/014_Oakland_ItzelDiazandFamily_09092021_qed-06c984cf.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103658\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/014_Oakland_ItzelDiazandFamily_09092021_qed-06c984cf.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/014_Oakland_ItzelDiazandFamily_09092021_qed-06c984cf-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/014_Oakland_ItzelDiazandFamily_09092021_qed-06c984cf-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Itzel Diaz drops off her ballot for California’s gubernatorial recall election at a ballot dropbox in Fruitvale on Sept. 9, 2021. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Submitting your ballot by hand this way is the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103028/should-you-use-usps-to-mail-your-midterm-ballot-heres-what-california-election-officials-say\">top recommendation\u003c/a> of Kim Alexander, president and founder of the non-partisan California Voter Foundation. If you live in \u003ca href=\"https://calvoter.org/content/sign-scan-and-go\">one of the California counties\u003c/a> which has adopted the “Sign & Go” system — which in the Bay Area are Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin and Napa — you can complete your ballot at at home, and then bring it to a participating vote center and sign the voter roster under penalty of perjury (just as you would for in-person voting) to submit it in person. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And if you live in a county which has adopted “Sign, Scan & Go”, like San Mateo, you can do all of the above and then scan your ballot yourself to have your vote recorded immediately at the voting site. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>You can also, of course, fill your ballot out in-person \u003cem>at \u003c/em>a voting location, and submit it directly there and then. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A few reasons the effort to hand-deliver your completed ballot instead of mailing it might be worth it:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Peace of mind:\u003c/strong> There’s a satisfaction that comes with knowing your ballot should now travel straight to your county elections office rather than going through USPS collection and sorting for delivery\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Timing:\u003c/strong> If it’s Election Day itself, using a drop box or a voting location to drop off your ballot is the best way to be sure it’ll reach your county elections office in time to be counted\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Assistance:\u003c/strong> If you drop off your ballot at a voting location during operating hours and you have a few lingering questions about your ballot or the process, chances are good that you’ll find someone there to help answer them.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Regardless of how you deliver it, you can \u003ca href=\"https://california.ballottrax.net/voter/\">sign up to track your ballot’s progress with the “Where’s My Ballot?” online tool\u003c/a> and be reassured it’s on its way to being counted.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can’t I just mail my ballot through the Postal Service?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yes, you can mail your completed ballot via the U.S. Postal Service at any regular collection box — but it’s best to do this early. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The envelope is postage paid, so it doesn’t require a stamp, and it’ll be counted as long as it’s\u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections\"> postmarked by Election Day and arrives at your county registrar’s office by Nov. 3\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Be aware that when it comes to using USPS, in the last two statewide elections, Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Attorney General Rob Bonta urged any voters planning to mail in their ballots \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-and-secretary-state-weber-sacramento-vote-early-june\">at \u003cem>least \u003c/em>a week before Election Day\u003c/a> — to account for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103028/should-you-use-usps-to-mail-your-midterm-ballot-heres-what-california-election-officials-say\">changes in the way USPS is collected\u003c/a> and postmarked in many areas. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If it’s Election Day itself, for peace of mind that your ballot will reach your county elections office in time to be counted, you should drop off your ballot in an official drop box or voting location instead of using USPS (see above).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you can’t do that, Weber’s office is recommending you \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/vote-mail\">“get a hand-stamped postmark\u003c/a> from a postal employee inside a United States Post Office” rather than simply dropping it in a USPS collection box on Election Day. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And if you really have to use a collection box, be \u003cem>very\u003c/em> sure you don’t miss the last collection time for that specific mailbox (which at many locations is 5 p.m. or earlier). You also shouldn’t drop off your ballot on Election Day at a post office that’s already closed — since doing either of these things will mean your ballot will not be postmarked on Election Day and it won’t be counted when it reaches your county’s election office.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103028/should-you-use-usps-to-mail-your-midterm-ballot-heres-what-california-election-officials-say\">Read more about what California election officials say about using USPS this election season.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"in-person\">Where can I vote in person on Election Day?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On Election Day, in-person voting is still available at every county registrar’s office (also known as your county’s elections office) in the Bay Area. If you’re a San Francisco voter, this location will be City Hall. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting-resources/county-elections-offices\">Find your county registrar’s office and opening hours.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Check your mail-in ballot to see where you can vote and whether you’ve been assigned a specific polling place.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/004_Oakland_ItzelDiazandFamily_09092021_qed-1-b4fd4fcf.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103661\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/004_Oakland_ItzelDiazandFamily_09092021_qed-1-b4fd4fcf.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/004_Oakland_ItzelDiazandFamily_09092021_qed-1-b4fd4fcf-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/004_Oakland_ItzelDiazandFamily_09092021_qed-1-b4fd4fcf-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Porfirio Diaz fills out his mail-in ballot for California’s gubernatorial recall election at his home in Oakland on Sept. 9, 2021. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>If you live in San Francisco, Contra Costa or Solano counties:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>You are assigned a specific polling place, though Contra Costa County election officials say they can process your ballot no matter where you show up to vote.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But even if you live in a county that assigns you a particular polling place, you can still vote at \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting-resources/county-elections-offices\">your county registrar’s office\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>If you live in Alameda, Marin, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara or Sonoma counties:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>You can vote at any voting location — known as Vote Centers — including your county registrar’s office.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>You can \u003ca href=\"https://caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov/\">find your voting location through the state’s lookup tool\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Do I need to bring my ballot with me?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you’d like to cast a ballot in person, it’s a good idea to bring the blank ballot you were mailed, as some counties may require you to vote provisionally if you don’t bring it. If you’re issued a new ballot when you vote in person, any ballot you left at home will be canceled.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Provisional votes are subject to extra checks — confirming that you’re actually registered to vote in California, or that you didn’t already complete and mail your ballot — and this extra layer of confirmation takes time. That means that although your vote will eventually be counted, it might not be tallied on Election Day itself.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">I still need to register to vote. What should I do? Can I do this on Election Day?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The official deadline to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/\">register online to vote \u003c/a>is Monday, Oct. 19.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Remember, if you’ve changed your name or want to change the political party choice you previously registered to vote with or you moved address, you’ll need to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/\">re-register\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2121\" height=\"1414\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-2042927844.jpg\" alt=\"Two Black women standing and looking at a clipboard over a table and signs that say "Vote" with other people waiting in line behind the woman with the red shirt.\" class=\"wp-image-12010427\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-2042927844.jpg 2121w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-2042927844-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-2042927844-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-2042927844-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-2042927844-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-2042927844-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-2042927844-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2121px) 100vw, 2121px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The official deadline to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/\">register online to vote \u003c/a>is Monday, Oct. 19. (Drazen Zigic via iStock/Getty Images Plus)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But if you miss the deadline to register, don’t panic: After Oct. 19, you can still complete the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/same-day-reg/\">same-day voter registration\u003c/a> process (also known as “conditional voting”) and request your ballot in person at your county elections office or polling location. This system enables you to fill out and submit your ballot then and there, up until when polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In addition to voter registration, many voting locations also offer replacement ballots, accessible voting machines and language assistance.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"ballot-drop-off\">How can I find my voting location or ballot drop-off?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Secure drop boxes \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/general-election-november-3-2026\">open by Oct. 5, and the first vote centers open \u003c/a>Oct. 24 in certain counties, with more early voting locations opening Oct. 31.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Visit the \u003ca href=\"https://caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov/\">state of California lookup tool\u003c/a>, where you can:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>Enter your county (adding your city or ZIP code will give more localized results, but it’s optional)\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Check the “Early Voting” and/or “Drop Off Location” boxes\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Hit “Search” to see all the early voting and drop-off locations in that area.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Remember that in-person voting hours may differ by location, and some locations may not be open every day.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"county\">How can I contact my county directly about voting?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Across the Bay Area, elections officials are encouraging voters to reach out — early — with any questions or concerns. Here’s the contact information for your county:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://acvote.alamedacountyca.gov/index\">\u003cstrong>Alameda\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: For information about voting by mail, registration and polling place lookup, call 510-267-8683\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.contracostavote.gov/elections/\">\u003cstrong>Contra Costa\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 925-335-7800 or email voter.services@vote.cccounty.us\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.marincounty.org/depts/rv\">\u003cstrong>Marin\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 415-473-6456 or go to the Marin County elections webpage to \u003ca href=\"https://www.marincounty.org/depts/rv/contact-us\">send a form email\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.countyofnapa.org/396/Elections\">\u003cstrong>Napa\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 707-253-4321 or email the elections office at elections@countyofnapa.org\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfelections.sfgov.org\">\u003cstrong>San Francisco\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 415-554-4375 or email sfvote@sfgov.org\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.smcacre.org/elections\">\u003cstrong>San Mateo\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 888-762-8683 or email registrar@smcacre.org\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sccgov.org/sites/rov/Pages/Registrar-of-Voters.aspx\">\u003cstrong>Santa Clara\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call toll-free at 866-430-VOTE (8683) or email registrar@rov.sccgov.org\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.solanocounty.com/depts/rov/default.asp\">\u003cstrong>Solano\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>: \u003c/strong>Call 707-784-6675 or 888-933-VOTE (8683). You can also email elections@solanocounty.com\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/CRA/Registrar-of-Voters/\">\u003cstrong>Sonoma\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 707-565-6800 or toll-free at 800-750-8683\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The state also has a full list of \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting-resources/county-elections-offices/\">every county elections office in California\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "san-francisco-ballots-spoiled",
"title": "SF Voters: Did Your Midterm Ballot Arrive Torn? Here’s What to Do",
"publishDate": 1791482149,
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"headTitle": "SF Voters: Did Your Midterm Ballot Arrive Torn? Here’s What to Do | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>Counties began sending \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide/\">midterm election ballots\u003c/a> to every registered Bay Area voter this week — but some San Franciscans are \u003ca href=\"https://missionlocal.org/2026/10/san-francisco-ballot-torn-envelope/\">reporting \u003c/a>their ballots have arrived in envelopes that are torn or damaged.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In \u003ca href=\"https://www.sf.gov/news-the-department-of-elections-provides-guidance-on-vote-by-mail-ballot-envelopes-for-the-november-3-2026-consolidated-general-election\">a public advisory\u003c/a>, posted Wednesday to the San Francisco Department of Elections website, the agency’s director John Arntz told voters that “tears in the outer mailing envelopes” wouldn’t affect their ability to use their ballots to vote in the Nov. 3 election, “as long as all four ballot cards and the ballot return envelope are intact.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>However, some voters in the city are reporting that the ballot cards inside their envelopes have also arrived damaged. One of them, KQED News reporter \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/sjohnson\">Sydney Johnson\u003c/a>, said she and her partner had received ballots that were torn on both the outer envelopes, and her internal return envelope was also ripped.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you’re concerned your San Francisco ballot materials have also been damaged, \u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#what-to-do\">jump to what you should do now\u003c/a>.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What happened to these ballots?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Arntz attributed the damage to issues at the United States Postal Service, “which indicated that the tears occurred as some envelopes moved through its processing equipment.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In an email to KQED, USPS spokesperson Kristina Uppal said that the damage to some San Francisco ballot envelopes was due to their “thickness,” meaning a “small number of envelopes may have experienced damage during machine processing.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261008-SF-Ballot-Damaged-02-KQED-9e84a5a9.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103502\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261008-SF-Ballot-Damaged-02-KQED-9e84a5a9.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261008-SF-Ballot-Damaged-02-KQED-9e84a5a9-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261008-SF-Ballot-Damaged-02-KQED-9e84a5a9-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A damaged San Francisco midterm ballot that was delivered to KQED reporter Sydney Johnson this week. (Sydney Johnson/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Upon observing the issue, USPS switched to manual processing for the remaining vote-by-mail packets,” Arntz said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and remain fully committed to delivering every election mail piece safely and on time,” Uppal said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Election officials have sent out \u003ca href=\"https://www.sf.gov/news-the-department-of-elections-mails-vote-by-mail-ballots-to-locally-registered-voters-for-the-november-3-2026-consolidated-general-election\">more than 500,000 vote-by-mail ballots \u003c/a>to San Francisco voters, although it’s not yet clear just how many have been affected. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-to-do\">If you’re a San Francisco voter who’s worried about your ballot, here’s what to do\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">First, check your ballot envelope and the contents inside \u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Arntz said that if you spot any tearing in your San Francisco ballot envelope, you should (carefully) open the envelope to check it contains the following:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>All four ballot cards\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>A ballot return envelope\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>An insert with voting instructions\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095745\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A voter is given a sticker after dropping his ballot at City Hall in San Francisco on Oct. 30, 2025, ahead of the statewide special election. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If all four ballot cards and the ballot return envelope are intact, voters can mark their ballots and return them using the ballot return envelope provided,” Arntz said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Elsewhere, Arntz has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kron4.com/news/politics/sf-voters-receive-damaged-ballot-envelopes-officials-offer-simple-explanation/\">described \u003c/a>the outer envelope as “just a package to give the ballot to people.” In other words, once your ballot has arrived, you don’t actually use that outer envelope again in any of the voting process — which is why its damage won’t stop you from voting.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Was anything damaged inside? Get a new ballot\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If the \u003cem>contents \u003c/em>of your ballot show any sign of damage, you can request a new ballot from the San Francisco Department of Elections.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>People across all Bay Area counties request new ballots all the time, often because they’ve made a mistake (or just spilled coffee on them), so there’s already a process to request yours. You can do that by:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>Calling the SF Department of Elections at 415-558-6100\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Emailing them at \u003ca href=\"mailto:sfvote@sfgov.org\">sfvote@sfgov.org\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Logging into the SF Elections \u003ca href=\"https://sfelections.org/tools/portal/\">Voter Portal\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Going to the SF Department of Elections in person during opening hours (located in Room 48 at San Francisco City Hall, open Mon-Fri 8 a.m—5 p.m., closed weekends and on Oct. 12)\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>You can also take your damaged ballot to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sf.gov/vote-in-person\">your assigned polling place\u003c/a> on Election Day, Nov. 3, and vote in person at any time until 8 p.m.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Should I be worried about mail-in voting this election season?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The issues with some San Francisco ballots arrive on the heels of President Donald Trump’s multiple attacks on voting by mail this year — a system which he has claimed, without evidence, is rife with fraud. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Trump administration’s efforts to limit voting by mail include an \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/03/ensuring-citizenship-verification-and-integrity-in-federal-elections/\">executive order \u003c/a>attempting to give USPS the role of deciding who receives mail ballots, to a push for Congress to require photo identification at the polls.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And while these moves have failed so far, and are not in place this election season, USPS has also made some new changes to its mail collection process. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>These changes have resulted in slower service that particularly affects voters in rural areas, who will have their mail picked up later — with big consequences for ballots, which must be postmarked by Election Day itself in order to be counted. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103028/should-you-use-usps-to-mail-your-midterm-ballot-heres-what-california-election-officials-say\">Read more about these changes to USPS services.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the last two statewide elections, Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Attorney General Rob Bonta urged voters planning to use USPS to mail in their ballots \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-and-secretary-state-weber-sacramento-vote-early-june\">at least a week before Election Day\u003c/a>, to account for those USPS changes — and to get a \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/vote-mail\">hand-stamped postmark\u003c/a> from an employee inside a post office, if mailing their ballot on Election Day itself is their only option, rather than simply dropping it in a USPS collection box.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some election officials are steering voters away from using USPS entirely, including Sonoma County’s registrar of voters Evelyn Mendez, who told KQED that the county was “not really encouraging people to use the USPS to get their ballot here.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Instead, Mendez said, voters should use secure county collection boxes, which are now open 24/7 through 8 p.m. on Election Day and bypass USPS entirely, making sure ballots reach the county’s election offices directly.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103028/should-you-use-usps-to-mail-your-midterm-ballot-heres-what-california-election-officials-say\">Read more about how to ensure your mail-in ballot is counted this election season.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/ibloom\">\u003cem>Izzy Bloom\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Counties began sending \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide/\">midterm election ballots\u003c/a> to every registered Bay Area voter this week — but some San Franciscans are \u003ca href=\"https://missionlocal.org/2026/10/san-francisco-ballot-torn-envelope/\">reporting \u003c/a>their ballots have arrived in envelopes that are torn or damaged.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Counties began sending \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide/\">midterm election ballots\u003c/a> to every registered Bay Area voter this week — but some San Franciscans are \u003ca href=\"https://missionlocal.org/2026/10/san-francisco-ballot-torn-envelope/\">reporting \u003c/a>their ballots have arrived in envelopes that are torn or damaged.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In \u003ca href=\"https://www.sf.gov/news-the-department-of-elections-provides-guidance-on-vote-by-mail-ballot-envelopes-for-the-november-3-2026-consolidated-general-election\">a public advisory\u003c/a>, posted Wednesday to the San Francisco Department of Elections website, the agency’s director John Arntz told voters that “tears in the outer mailing envelopes” wouldn’t affect their ability to use their ballots to vote in the Nov. 3 election, “as long as all four ballot cards and the ballot return envelope are intact.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In \u003ca href=\"https://www.sf.gov/news-the-department-of-elections-provides-guidance-on-vote-by-mail-ballot-envelopes-for-the-november-3-2026-consolidated-general-election\">a public advisory\u003c/a>, posted Wednesday to the San Francisco Department of Elections website, the agency’s director John Arntz told voters that “tears in the outer mailing envelopes” wouldn’t affect their ability to use their ballots to vote in the Nov. 3 election, “as long as all four ballot cards and the ballot return envelope are intact.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>However, some voters in the city are reporting that the ballot cards inside their envelopes have also arrived damaged. One of them, KQED News reporter \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/sjohnson\">Sydney Johnson\u003c/a>, said she and her partner had received ballots that were torn on both the outer envelopes, and her internal return envelope was also ripped.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>However, some voters in the city are reporting that the ballot cards inside their envelopes have also arrived damaged. One of them, KQED News reporter \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/sjohnson\">Sydney Johnson\u003c/a>, said she and her partner had received ballots that were torn on both the outer envelopes, and her internal return envelope was also ripped.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you’re concerned your San Francisco ballot materials have also been damaged, \u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#what-to-do\">jump to what you should do now\u003c/a>.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>If you’re concerned your San Francisco ballot materials have also been damaged, \u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#what-to-do\">jump to what you should do now\u003c/a>.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "What happened to these ballots?",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What happened to these ballots?\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Arntz attributed the damage to issues at the United States Postal Service, “which indicated that the tears occurred as some envelopes moved through its processing equipment.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Arntz attributed the damage to issues at the United States Postal Service, “which indicated that the tears occurred as some envelopes moved through its processing equipment.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In an email to KQED, USPS spokesperson Kristina Uppal said that the damage to some San Francisco ballot envelopes was due to their “thickness,” meaning a “small number of envelopes may have experienced damage during machine processing.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In an email to KQED, USPS spokesperson Kristina Uppal said that the damage to some San Francisco ballot envelopes was due to their “thickness,” meaning a “small number of envelopes may have experienced damage during machine processing.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261008-SF-Ballot-Damaged-02-KQED-9e84a5a9.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261008-SF-Ballot-Damaged-02-KQED-9e84a5a9-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261008-SF-Ballot-Damaged-02-KQED-9e84a5a9-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261008-SF-Ballot-Damaged-02-KQED-9e84a5a9.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103502\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261008-SF-Ballot-Damaged-02-KQED-9e84a5a9.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261008-SF-Ballot-Damaged-02-KQED-9e84a5a9-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261008-SF-Ballot-Damaged-02-KQED-9e84a5a9-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A damaged San Francisco midterm ballot that was delivered to KQED reporter Sydney Johnson this week.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Sydney Johnson/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261008-SF-Ballot-Damaged-02-KQED-9e84a5a9.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103502\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A damaged San Francisco midterm ballot that was delivered to KQED reporter Sydney Johnson this week.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Sydney Johnson/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Upon observing the issue, USPS switched to manual processing for the remaining vote-by-mail packets,” Arntz said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Upon observing the issue, USPS switched to manual processing for the remaining vote-by-mail packets,” Arntz said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and remain fully committed to delivering every election mail piece safely and on time,” Uppal said.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and remain fully committed to delivering every election mail piece safely and on time,” Uppal said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Election officials have sent out \u003ca href=\"https://www.sf.gov/news-the-department-of-elections-mails-vote-by-mail-ballots-to-locally-registered-voters-for-the-november-3-2026-consolidated-general-election\">more than 500,000 vote-by-mail ballots \u003c/a>to San Francisco voters, although it’s not yet clear just how many have been affected. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Election officials have sent out \u003ca href=\"https://www.sf.gov/news-the-department-of-elections-mails-vote-by-mail-ballots-to-locally-registered-voters-for-the-november-3-2026-consolidated-general-election\">more than 500,000 vote-by-mail ballots \u003c/a>to San Francisco voters, although it’s not yet clear just how many have been affected. \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "If you’re a San Francisco voter who’s worried about your ballot, here’s what to do",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-to-do\">If you’re a San Francisco voter who’s worried about your ballot, here’s what to do\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-to-do\">If you’re a San Francisco voter who’s worried about your ballot, here’s what to do\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Arntz said that if you spot any tearing in your San Francisco ballot envelope, you should (carefully) open the envelope to check it contains the following:\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Arntz said that if you spot any tearing in your San Francisco ballot envelope, you should (carefully) open the envelope to check it contains the following:\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095745\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A voter is given a sticker after dropping his ballot at City Hall in San Francisco on Oct. 30, 2025, ahead of the statewide special election.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095745\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A voter is given a sticker after dropping his ballot at City Hall in San Francisco on Oct. 30, 2025, ahead of the statewide special election.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“If all four ballot cards and the ballot return envelope are intact, voters can mark their ballots and return them using the ballot return envelope provided,” Arntz said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Elsewhere, Arntz has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kron4.com/news/politics/sf-voters-receive-damaged-ballot-envelopes-officials-offer-simple-explanation/\">described \u003c/a>the outer envelope as “just a package to give the ballot to people.” In other words, once your ballot has arrived, you don’t actually use that outer envelope again in any of the voting process — which is why its damage won’t stop you from voting.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Elsewhere, Arntz has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kron4.com/news/politics/sf-voters-receive-damaged-ballot-envelopes-officials-offer-simple-explanation/\">described \u003c/a>the outer envelope as “just a package to give the ballot to people.” In other words, once your ballot has arrived, you don’t actually use that outer envelope again in any of the voting process — which is why its damage won’t stop you from voting.\u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "Was anything damaged inside? Get a new ballot"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Was anything damaged inside? Get a new ballot\u003c/h3>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If the \u003cem>contents \u003c/em>of your ballot show any sign of damage, you can request a new ballot from the San Francisco Department of Elections.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>People across all Bay Area counties request new ballots all the time, often because they’ve made a mistake (or just spilled coffee on them), so there’s already a process to request yours. You can do that by:\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>People across all Bay Area counties request new ballots all the time, often because they’ve made a mistake (or just spilled coffee on them), so there’s already a process to request yours. You can do that by:\u003c/p>\n"
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"Calling the SF Department of Elections at 415-558-6100",
"Emailing them at sfvote@sfgov.org",
"Logging into the SF Elections Voter Portal",
"Going to the SF Department of Elections in person during opening hours (located in Room 48 at San Francisco City Hall, open Mon-Fri 8 a.m—5 p.m., closed weekends and on Oct. 12)"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Emailing them at \u003ca href=\"mailto:sfvote@sfgov.org\">sfvote@sfgov.org\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Logging into the SF Elections \u003ca href=\"https://sfelections.org/tools/portal/\">Voter Portal\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Going to the SF Department of Elections in person during opening hours (located in Room 48 at San Francisco City Hall, open Mon-Fri 8 a.m—5 p.m., closed weekends and on Oct. 12)\u003c/li>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>You can also take your damaged ballot to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sf.gov/vote-in-person\">your assigned polling place\u003c/a> on Election Day, Nov. 3, and vote in person at any time until 8 p.m.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>You can also take your damaged ballot to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sf.gov/vote-in-person\">your assigned polling place\u003c/a> on Election Day, Nov. 3, and vote in person at any time until 8 p.m.\u003c/p>\n"
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"attrs": {
"text": "Should I be worried about mail-in voting this election season?",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The issues with some San Francisco ballots arrive on the heels of President Donald Trump’s multiple attacks on voting by mail this year — a system which he has claimed, without evidence, is rife with fraud. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The issues with some San Francisco ballots arrive on the heels of President Donald Trump’s multiple attacks on voting by mail this year — a system which he has claimed, without evidence, is rife with fraud. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Trump administration’s efforts to limit voting by mail include an \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/03/ensuring-citizenship-verification-and-integrity-in-federal-elections/\">executive order \u003c/a>attempting to give USPS the role of deciding who receives mail ballots, to a push for Congress to require photo identification at the polls.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Trump administration’s efforts to limit voting by mail include an \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/03/ensuring-citizenship-verification-and-integrity-in-federal-elections/\">executive order \u003c/a>attempting to give USPS the role of deciding who receives mail ballots, to a push for Congress to require photo identification at the polls.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And while these moves have failed so far, and are not in place this election season, USPS has also made some new changes to its mail collection process. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And while these moves have failed so far, and are not in place this election season, USPS has also made some new changes to its mail collection process. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>These changes have resulted in slower service that particularly affects voters in rural areas, who will have their mail picked up later — with big consequences for ballots, which must be postmarked by Election Day itself in order to be counted. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103028/should-you-use-usps-to-mail-your-midterm-ballot-heres-what-california-election-officials-say\">Read more about these changes to USPS services.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>These changes have resulted in slower service that particularly affects voters in rural areas, who will have their mail picked up later — with big consequences for ballots, which must be postmarked by Election Day itself in order to be counted. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103028/should-you-use-usps-to-mail-your-midterm-ballot-heres-what-california-election-officials-say\">Read more about these changes to USPS services.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the last two statewide elections, Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Attorney General Rob Bonta urged voters planning to use USPS to mail in their ballots \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-and-secretary-state-weber-sacramento-vote-early-june\">at least a week before Election Day\u003c/a>, to account for those USPS changes — and to get a \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/vote-mail\">hand-stamped postmark\u003c/a> from an employee inside a post office, if mailing their ballot on Election Day itself is their only option, rather than simply dropping it in a USPS collection box.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In the last two statewide elections, Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Attorney General Rob Bonta urged voters planning to use USPS to mail in their ballots \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-and-secretary-state-weber-sacramento-vote-early-june\">at least a week before Election Day\u003c/a>, to account for those USPS changes — and to get a \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/vote-mail\">hand-stamped postmark\u003c/a> from an employee inside a post office, if mailing their ballot on Election Day itself is their only option, rather than simply dropping it in a USPS collection box.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some election officials are steering voters away from using USPS entirely, including Sonoma County’s registrar of voters Evelyn Mendez, who told KQED that the county was “not really encouraging people to use the USPS to get their ballot here.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Some election officials are steering voters away from using USPS entirely, including Sonoma County’s registrar of voters Evelyn Mendez, who told KQED that the county was “not really encouraging people to use the USPS to get their ballot here.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Instead, Mendez said, voters should use secure county collection boxes, which are now open 24/7 through 8 p.m. on Election Day and bypass USPS entirely, making sure ballots reach the county’s election offices directly.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Instead, Mendez said, voters should use secure county collection boxes, which are now open 24/7 through 8 p.m. on Election Day and bypass USPS entirely, making sure ballots reach the county’s election offices directly.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103028/should-you-use-usps-to-mail-your-midterm-ballot-heres-what-california-election-officials-say\">Read more about how to ensure your mail-in ballot is counted this election season.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103028/should-you-use-usps-to-mail-your-midterm-ballot-heres-what-california-election-officials-say\">Read more about how to ensure your mail-in ballot is counted this election season.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/ibloom\">\u003cem>Izzy Bloom\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/ibloom\">\u003cem>Izzy Bloom\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "If you’re one of the San Francisco voters whose ballot arrived ripped, here’s how to know if it’s still usable — and when you need a new one.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Counties began sending \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide/\">midterm election ballots\u003c/a> to every registered Bay Area voter this week — but some San Franciscans are \u003ca href=\"https://missionlocal.org/2026/10/san-francisco-ballot-torn-envelope/\">reporting \u003c/a>their ballots have arrived in envelopes that are torn or damaged.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In \u003ca href=\"https://www.sf.gov/news-the-department-of-elections-provides-guidance-on-vote-by-mail-ballot-envelopes-for-the-november-3-2026-consolidated-general-election\">a public advisory\u003c/a>, posted Wednesday to the San Francisco Department of Elections website, the agency’s director John Arntz told voters that “tears in the outer mailing envelopes” wouldn’t affect their ability to use their ballots to vote in the Nov. 3 election, “as long as all four ballot cards and the ballot return envelope are intact.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>However, some voters in the city are reporting that the ballot cards inside their envelopes have also arrived damaged. One of them, KQED News reporter \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/sjohnson\">Sydney Johnson\u003c/a>, said she and her partner had received ballots that were torn on both the outer envelopes, and her internal return envelope was also ripped.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you’re concerned your San Francisco ballot materials have also been damaged, \u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#what-to-do\">jump to what you should do now\u003c/a>.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What happened to these ballots?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Arntz attributed the damage to issues at the United States Postal Service, “which indicated that the tears occurred as some envelopes moved through its processing equipment.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In an email to KQED, USPS spokesperson Kristina Uppal said that the damage to some San Francisco ballot envelopes was due to their “thickness,” meaning a “small number of envelopes may have experienced damage during machine processing.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261008-SF-Ballot-Damaged-02-KQED-9e84a5a9.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103502\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261008-SF-Ballot-Damaged-02-KQED-9e84a5a9.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261008-SF-Ballot-Damaged-02-KQED-9e84a5a9-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261008-SF-Ballot-Damaged-02-KQED-9e84a5a9-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A damaged San Francisco midterm ballot that was delivered to KQED reporter Sydney Johnson this week. (Sydney Johnson/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Upon observing the issue, USPS switched to manual processing for the remaining vote-by-mail packets,” Arntz said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and remain fully committed to delivering every election mail piece safely and on time,” Uppal said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Election officials have sent out \u003ca href=\"https://www.sf.gov/news-the-department-of-elections-mails-vote-by-mail-ballots-to-locally-registered-voters-for-the-november-3-2026-consolidated-general-election\">more than 500,000 vote-by-mail ballots \u003c/a>to San Francisco voters, although it’s not yet clear just how many have been affected. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-to-do\">If you’re a San Francisco voter who’s worried about your ballot, here’s what to do\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">First, check your ballot envelope and the contents inside \u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Arntz said that if you spot any tearing in your San Francisco ballot envelope, you should (carefully) open the envelope to check it contains the following:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>All four ballot cards\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>A ballot return envelope\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>An insert with voting instructions\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095745\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A voter is given a sticker after dropping his ballot at City Hall in San Francisco on Oct. 30, 2025, ahead of the statewide special election. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If all four ballot cards and the ballot return envelope are intact, voters can mark their ballots and return them using the ballot return envelope provided,” Arntz said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Elsewhere, Arntz has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kron4.com/news/politics/sf-voters-receive-damaged-ballot-envelopes-officials-offer-simple-explanation/\">described \u003c/a>the outer envelope as “just a package to give the ballot to people.” In other words, once your ballot has arrived, you don’t actually use that outer envelope again in any of the voting process — which is why its damage won’t stop you from voting.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Was anything damaged inside? Get a new ballot\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If the \u003cem>contents \u003c/em>of your ballot show any sign of damage, you can request a new ballot from the San Francisco Department of Elections.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>People across all Bay Area counties request new ballots all the time, often because they’ve made a mistake (or just spilled coffee on them), so there’s already a process to request yours. You can do that by:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>Calling the SF Department of Elections at 415-558-6100\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Emailing them at \u003ca href=\"mailto:sfvote@sfgov.org\">sfvote@sfgov.org\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Logging into the SF Elections \u003ca href=\"https://sfelections.org/tools/portal/\">Voter Portal\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Going to the SF Department of Elections in person during opening hours (located in Room 48 at San Francisco City Hall, open Mon-Fri 8 a.m—5 p.m., closed weekends and on Oct. 12)\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>You can also take your damaged ballot to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sf.gov/vote-in-person\">your assigned polling place\u003c/a> on Election Day, Nov. 3, and vote in person at any time until 8 p.m.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Should I be worried about mail-in voting this election season?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The issues with some San Francisco ballots arrive on the heels of President Donald Trump’s multiple attacks on voting by mail this year — a system which he has claimed, without evidence, is rife with fraud. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Trump administration’s efforts to limit voting by mail include an \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/03/ensuring-citizenship-verification-and-integrity-in-federal-elections/\">executive order \u003c/a>attempting to give USPS the role of deciding who receives mail ballots, to a push for Congress to require photo identification at the polls.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And while these moves have failed so far, and are not in place this election season, USPS has also made some new changes to its mail collection process. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>These changes have resulted in slower service that particularly affects voters in rural areas, who will have their mail picked up later — with big consequences for ballots, which must be postmarked by Election Day itself in order to be counted. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103028/should-you-use-usps-to-mail-your-midterm-ballot-heres-what-california-election-officials-say\">Read more about these changes to USPS services.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the last two statewide elections, Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Attorney General Rob Bonta urged voters planning to use USPS to mail in their ballots \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-and-secretary-state-weber-sacramento-vote-early-june\">at least a week before Election Day\u003c/a>, to account for those USPS changes — and to get a \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/vote-mail\">hand-stamped postmark\u003c/a> from an employee inside a post office, if mailing their ballot on Election Day itself is their only option, rather than simply dropping it in a USPS collection box.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some election officials are steering voters away from using USPS entirely, including Sonoma County’s registrar of voters Evelyn Mendez, who told KQED that the county was “not really encouraging people to use the USPS to get their ballot here.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Instead, Mendez said, voters should use secure county collection boxes, which are now open 24/7 through 8 p.m. on Election Day and bypass USPS entirely, making sure ballots reach the county’s election offices directly.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103028/should-you-use-usps-to-mail-your-midterm-ballot-heres-what-california-election-officials-say\">Read more about how to ensure your mail-in ballot is counted this election season.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/ibloom\">\u003cem>Izzy Bloom\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "california-midterms-elections-2026-vote-for-governor-ballot-signature-how-to-correct-mistake",
"title": "Midterms 2026: Read This Before You Fill Out Your California Ballot (or Need to Correct a Mistake)",
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"headTitle": "Midterms 2026: Read This Before You Fill Out Your California Ballot (or Need to Correct a Mistake) | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>It’s time to vote in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> 2026 midterm election — which includes your chance to decide who’ll be the state’s next governor. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you’re a registered California voter, your ballot is on its way in the next few days, if it hasn’t already arrived. Your last day to vote will be Election Day itself, Nov. 3.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But what if you’re unsure of how to fill that ballot out according to how you want to vote? Or what to do if you’ve made a mistake on it?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Read on to learn how to fill out your ballot when it arrives, how important your signature is, and your options if you need to start again with a fresh ballot.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Jump to: \u003ca href=\"#mistake\">I messed up my ballot. What should I do? \u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">First of all: Am I registered to vote?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The official deadline to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/\">register online to vote \u003c/a>is Monday, Oct. 19.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>So if you’re unsure whether you’re already registered to vote or can’t remember which party preference you already have, \u003ca href=\"https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/\">check your voter registration details\u003c/a> ASAP.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1275\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/YouthVoterGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102009\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/YouthVoterGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/YouthVoterGetty-160x102.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/YouthVoterGetty-1536x979.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Potential young voters get information at a voter registration desk at Voter Fest 2024, an event designed to engage young voters and historically underserved communities on Oct. 22, 2024, at Cal State Los Angeles. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Remember, if you’ve changed your name or want to change the political party choice you previously registered to vote with, or you’ve moved address, you’ll need to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/\">re-register\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Making sure you’re registered — and to the right address — is crucial for getting your ballot on time. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And if you miss the deadline to register, don’t panic: That’s the last day to do it \u003cem>online\u003c/em>. After Oct. 19, you can still complete the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/same-day-reg/\">same-day voter registration\u003c/a> process (also known as “conditional voting”) and receive your ballot in person at your county elections office or polling location, all the way up to 8 p.m. on Election Day itself.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What’s on my 2026 midterm elections ballot?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Depending on which county you live in, your California ballot will present you with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide\">a mix of races\u003c/a> to vote on.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The races for statewide offices include:\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide/california/governor\">Governor\u003c/a>: Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton face off in a race to succeed Governor Gavin Newsom.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide/california/insurance-commissioner\">Insurance commissioner\u003c/a>: Wildfires and inflation have thrown California into an insurance crisis. Two Democrats, Ben Allen and Jane Kim, are running to become the insurance industry’s chief regulator.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12078808\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/SteveHiltonAP.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12078808\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/SteveHiltonAP.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/SteveHiltonAP-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/SteveHiltonAP-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Steve Hilton speaks during the California gubernatorial candidate debate on Feb. 3, 2026, in San Francisco. (Laure Andrillon/AP Photo)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12086476\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/Xavier-Becerra-Getty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12086476\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/Xavier-Becerra-Getty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/Xavier-Becerra-Getty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/Xavier-Becerra-Getty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Xavier Becerra, a candidate for governor, speaks to supporters on election night on June 2, 2026. (David Crane/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A number of statewide propositions, including:\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide/california/proposition-1\">Prop. 1\u003c/a>: Should California issue $11.25 billion in general obligation bonds for affordable housing, homebuying opportunities and veterans and homelessness programs?\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide/california/proposition-39\">Prop 39\u003c/a>: Should Californians be required to show ID for in-person and mail-in voting? \u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide/california/proposition-40\">Prop 40: \u003c/a>Should California tax the wealth of billionaires to fund health care services?\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Local measures and races \u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>These will depend on your Bay Area county or district. See \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide\">the KQED Voter Guide for more information\u003c/a> on what’s on your ballot this election season.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How do I return my ballot when I’ve completed it?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Drop off your ballot in a secure ballot drop box\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>These drop boxes \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/general-election-november-3-2026\">open by Oct. 5\u003c/a>, and once submitted, your ballot will be taken straight to your local county elections office.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some elections officials strongly recommend using these drop boxes over using USPS. “We’re not really encouraging people to use the USPS to get their ballot here,” said Evelyn Mendez, Sonoma County’s registrar of voters. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Instead, Mendez tells voters to use county collection boxes because they skip the Postal Service altogether.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Return your ballot through the Postal Service \u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The return postage is already paid for you. Keep in mind that the Postal Service must postmark your ballot envelope by the end of Election Day for your vote to count — and the last collection at many mailboxes is 5 p.m. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>However, in the last two statewide elections, Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Attorney General Rob Bonta urged any voters planning to use USPS to mail in their ballots \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-and-secretary-state-weber-sacramento-vote-early-june\">at \u003cem>least \u003c/em>a week before Election Day\u003c/a> — to account for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103028/should-you-use-usps-to-mail-your-midterm-ballot-heres-what-california-election-officials-say\">changes in the way USPS is collected\u003c/a> and postmarked in many areas. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And if you’re mailing your midterm ballot on Election Day itself, Weber’s office is recommending you \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/vote-mail\">“get a hand-stamped postmark\u003c/a> from a postal employee inside a United States Post Office” rather than simply dropping it in a USPS collection box.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Drop off your ballot in an open voting location\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/general-election-november-3-2026\">The first vote centers open \u003c/a>Oct. 24 in certain counties, with more early voting locations opening Oct. 31.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Submitting your ballot by hand this way is the top recommendation of Kim Alexander, president and founder of the non-partisan California Voter Foundation. You can fill your ballot out in-person at a voting location, and submit it directly there and then. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Or, if you live in \u003ca href=\"https://calvoter.org/content/sign-scan-and-go\">one of the California counties\u003c/a> which has adopted the “Sign & Go” system — in the Bay Area, that’s Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin and Napa — you can complete your ballot at your convenience at home, and then bring it to a participating vote center and sign the voter roster under penalty of perjury (just as you would for in-person voting) to submit it in person. And if you live in a county which has adopted “Sign, Scan & Go”, like San Mateo, you can do all of the above and then scan your ballot yourself to have your vote recorded immediately at the voting site. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do I \u003cem>have\u003c/em> to vote by mail?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>No. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/vote-mail\">If you’re registered to vote, you’ll be receiving a mail-in ballot by default\u003c/a> for the 2026 midterms, without requesting it. But voting by mail is still just one option that’s open to you.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>You can still vote in person, either at an early voting location before Election Day or on Election Day, Nov. 3, itself. \u003ca href=\"https://caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov/\">Early voting locations will open starting Oct. 24.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241102_EARLYVOTINGMARIN_GC-5-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A person puts a yellow ballot envelope in a ballot drop box.\" class=\"wp-image-12012711\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241102_EARLYVOTINGMARIN_GC-5-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241102_EARLYVOTINGMARIN_GC-5-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241102_EARLYVOTINGMARIN_GC-5-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241102_EARLYVOTINGMARIN_GC-5-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241102_EARLYVOTINGMARIN_GC-5-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241102_EARLYVOTINGMARIN_GC-5-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A voter drops off their mail-in ballot at a drop box outside of Novato City Hall on Nov. 2, 2024. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How do I fix a mistake on my ballot?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s important to note that each county is slightly different in how they’d prefer you to address a mistake on your ballot, and will often provide specific details about corrections \u003cem>on\u003c/em> the ballot itself. If you have a specific question about your ballot that isn’t answered here, you can always contact your local registrar of voters for advice and instructions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What if I have problems with my signature?\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When you’re done filling out your ballot, you must sign the envelope. But two big mistakes people make with their signatures are:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>Forgetting to sign their ballot entirely.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Making a signature that doesn’t match the signature they made when they registered to vote.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Why \u003cem>wouldn’t\u003c/em> your signature match the one on file? If you registered to vote at a young age, maybe your signature has changed over time. Or perhaps you registered to vote at the DMV and provided your signature on a screen with a stylus, which doesn’t quite replicate how you’d make your signature with a pen on paper.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/251104-SCCVOTE-JG-05_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12088632\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/251104-SCCVOTE-JG-05_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/251104-SCCVOTE-JG-05_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/251104-SCCVOTE-JG-05_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Edgardo Domingo fills out a ballot at a voting booth at the Vietnamese American Cultural Center in San José on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>If you registered this way, one simple way to avoid any signature problems is to take a quick glance at the signature that’s on your driver’s license or state ID — because that’s the one you want your ballot signature to match.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Even if you didn’t register at the DMV, that signature on your most recent license or state ID is still very likely the one to emulate. That’s because when you register to vote online, your county elections office electronically requests a copy of the signature the DMV \u003cem>currently\u003c/em> has for you, and this information is regularly updated.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>To further set your mind at rest, know that California isn’t an “exact match” state, and doesn’t demand voters’ signatures 100% replicate the signature that’s on file.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What if I just don’t know my ‘correct’ signature I’m registered to vote with?\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you’re \u003cem>really\u003c/em> worried about the signature on your envelope not matching the signature you’re registered to vote with, there are two good solutions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One: If it’s on or before Oct. 19, you can \u003ca href=\"https://registertovote.ca.gov/\">reregister to vote with your current signature\u003c/a>, to be sure that the state now has your most recent one on file. If you are reregistering after Oct. 19, you’d need to complete the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/same-day-reg/\">same-day voter registration\u003c/a> process (also known as “conditional voting”) and request your ballot in person at your county elections office or polling location.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2021, the California Voter Foundation’s Alexander, told us there’s another solution if you’re worried about your signature: Go vote in person, if you’re able.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s because the signature goes only on your ballot’s \u003cem>envelope\u003c/em> — and if you’re voting in person, there’s no envelope, because that ballot then goes straight into the ballot box without needing that envelope at all.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“So if you want that satisfaction of seeing your ballot drop in the box and know that it’s not going to get held up because of some signature issue, you can go and vote in person,” said Alexander.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">I already mailed my ballot, but now I’m paranoid about my signature. What if I messed it up?\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Rest assured: There’s a whole system in place to help you correct your mistake.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If your county’s election office detects a signature mismatch on your ballot, they’ll reach out to you via mail to verify and work with you to correct it, so that your ballot can be counted after all. It’s called “curing” a ballot.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This system is also applied when it looks like a member of a voter’s family might have signed their ballot, instead of the voter. This happens a \u003cem>surprising\u003c/em> amount when one household has several voters who all receive a ballot in the mail.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One way to get peace of mind: \u003ca href=\"https://california.ballottrax.net/voter/\">Sign up to track your ballot\u003c/a>, and you’ll find out about any issues with your ballot or your signature quickly.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"mistake\">I made a mistake on my ballot. How do I fix it?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>First, don’t panic. People make mistakes on ballots and find good ways to correct them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Counties give different directions to voters about what to do if they make a mistake (remember: Read the instructions!), but you can usually simply X out the choice you didn’t intend.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260602_PRIMARY2026CD4_GC-20-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12085889\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260602_PRIMARY2026CD4_GC-20-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260602_PRIMARY2026CD4_GC-20-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260602_PRIMARY2026CD4_GC-20-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Voters cast their ballots at UC Davis in Davis on June 2, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>The job of county elections officials — once they’ve verified your signature — is to make sure your ballot can be read correctly. If that means that your corrections on your ballot have resulted in readability issues, officials working in teams of two will actually remake it for you according to the intent you’ve signaled with your corrections.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some counties, like Alameda, ask that you actually contact them first if you make a serious mistake — including voting for the wrong candidate — so they can send you a replacement ballot. So, wherever you live, it’s a good idea to check with your local elections office first to see what \u003cem>they\u003c/em> recommend if you made a mistake.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And remember, there’s always this option …\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What if I just want a new ballot?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you’ve made a big mistake on your ballot — too big to fix — your best plan of action may be to focus on getting a new one. And that’s totally OK. You can:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>Call your county elections office and ask them to cancel that ballot and issue a new one to you.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Go to your county elections office with your spoiled ballot during business hours and vote right there at the counter.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Take advantage of the early voting options available in many counties.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Go to a voting site on Election Day, Nov. 3, turn in your spoiled ballot there and get a new ballot.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>You can also do this if you’ve accidentally damaged your ballot in some way (coffee spills happen).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">I think I put the wrong date on my envelope\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>First off, that date should be the date you signed your envelope — not your date of birth. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But if you’re worried you messed up the date, don’t worry. Elections officials say that the date they’re \u003cem>really\u003c/em> looking for is the date that the ballot is postmarked, to make sure it was submitted on time.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/002_KQED_SanFrancisco_Election2020_MailinBallot_10122020_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12099795\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/002_KQED_SanFrancisco_Election2020_MailinBallot_10122020_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/002_KQED_SanFrancisco_Election2020_MailinBallot_10122020_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/002_KQED_SanFrancisco_Election2020_MailinBallot_10122020_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A San Francisco official mail-in ballot for the Nov. 3, 2020 election. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Election officials will only truly scrutinize the date you’ve written if they receive your ballot \u003cem>after\u003c/em> Election Day.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And if you haven’t mailed your envelope yet, it’s an easy fix: Just clearly cross out the incorrect date on the envelope and write in the correct one above it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What if I use assistive technology to complete forms?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Getting physical assistance with filling out your ballot from someone you trust is always fine, whether you’re voting at home or at a voting site. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>You just need to make sure your signature is your own and matches the one you’re registered to vote with.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251030-BAYAREAVOTERS-32-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12062371\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251030-BAYAREAVOTERS-32-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251030-BAYAREAVOTERS-32-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251030-BAYAREAVOTERS-32-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tessa King drops off a ballot at the City Hall Voting Center in San Francisco on Oct. 30, 2025, ahead of the statewide special election. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Disabled voters can also choose to use the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting-resources/remote-accessible-vote-mail\">Remote Accessible Vote-by-Mail\u003c/a> system to vote privately and independently at home, using their usual assistive device on their home computer to fill out the ballot on their screen and then print and mail it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Every voting location in California is also equipped with an accessible voting unit. Here, voters with blindness or low vision or who have a disability that limits their dexterity, will be able to use the assistive device of their choice that allows them to vote privately and independently.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How can I make sure my mail-in ballot gets there on time? \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Remember, one big reason that ballots get disqualified in elections is that voters mail them too late: either too late on Election Day itself (after U.S. Postal Service mailboxes have already been collected), or after Election Day.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>To be counted in this election, your ballot must be postmarked on Election Day, Nov. 3, at the latest. Your ballot has seven days to reach your county elections office.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>So in this election, it’s as crucial as ever to make sure you have a plan for voting on time. And if you’re not voting in person, that means making sure you get your ballot into a USPS mailbox or into a secure voting drop box, at a polling location or your county elections office, by the time polls close on Nov. 3.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Read more about why \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103028/should-you-use-usps-to-mail-your-midterm-ballot-heres-what-california-election-officials-say\">California election officials are urging voters to make sure their ballot arrives on time\u003c/a> – and why they’re urging caution around using USPS too close to Election Day.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A few other common ballot mistakes to watch out for …\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Make sure you’re filling out and signing the ballot and envelope with \u003cem>your\u003c/em> name on it: \u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s common to see partners or roommates accidentally mix up their ballots. So make sure you’re signing the document that bears your name.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Make sure you use a black or blue pen: \u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It reads better, and it doesn’t slow workers down when they have to check to see what voter intent was. (Don’t use a felt-tip or a Sharpie that bleeds through the paper and marks other pages on your ballot.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/003_KQED_SanFrancisco_Election2020_TanyaYule_10092020_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12084638\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/003_KQED_SanFrancisco_Election2020_TanyaYule_10092020_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/003_KQED_SanFrancisco_Election2020_TanyaYule_10092020_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/003_KQED_SanFrancisco_Election2020_TanyaYule_10092020_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tanya Yule looks over a voting guide at her home in San Francisco on Oct. 9, 2020. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Don’t mail an empty envelope: \u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It does happen. Keeping your envelope and your ballot together in your home might be a helpful way of avoiding this problem. And of course, when you’re ready to mail your ballot, make sure it’s actually inside the envelope before you seal it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Don’t bother with a stamp: \u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Your ballot envelope is postage-paid. You don’t need it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">My ballot is missing or hasn’t arrived. What should I do?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you’re reading this and you’re worried that your ballot hasn’t arrived yet, make sure you’re not worrying \u003cem>too \u003c/em>early, as the deadline for counties to \u003cem>start \u003c/em>sending out ballots is only Oct. 5.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But if it gets to late October and your ballot still hasn’t materialized, don’t panic: You have options. Here’s what to do:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Check that you’re actually registered to vote — and to the right address\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/\">Input your details on the secretary of state’s voter status page\u003c/a> to check your registration status. This will show whether you’re actually registered to vote, and to which address. It should also show whether your ballot was mailed out.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>You can also use \u003ca href=\"https://california.ballottrax.net/voter/\">the Where’s My Ballot? tool\u003c/a> to check whether your ballot has been sent.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095745\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A voter is given a sticker after dropping his ballot at City Hall in San Francisco on Oct. 30, 2025, ahead of the statewide special election. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">If you’re registered to the wrong address, you can update it before Oct. 19 \u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you update your voter registration and address using \u003ca href=\"https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/\">the secretary of state’s voter status page\u003c/a> before the Oct. 19 deadline to register online, your county will cancel the ballot that went to your old address and send you a new one.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And if it turns out your ballot \u003cem>was \u003c/em>missing because your voter registration wasn’t updated, don’t feel bad — people move all the time and forget to update their registrations accordingly.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The California Voter Foundation’s Alexander confirmed to KQED in 2021 that updating your address at the post office doesn’t, in fact, update your voter registration. The DMV, on the other hand, \u003cem>will\u003c/em> update your voter registration details if you update your address with them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">If your voter registration address was correct but your ballot never showed up, you still have options\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If it’s more than six days before Election Day, you can call your county elections office and ask them to send a new ballot. Find your county elections office in our contact list (below). \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Your county elections office won’t mail you a ballot six days or less before Election Day, because it can’t be sure it’ll reach you in time. So if you’re trying to get a ballot in the immediate run-up to Election Day, go to your county elections office in person and request one at the counter.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1353\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/CaliforniaElection2026Getty-e1781204236548.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087079\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An election worker processes mail-in ballots for the California state primary election at the Los Angeles County Ballot Processing Center on June 5, 2026, in City of Industry, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>From Oct. 5, your county elections office will be open for early voting through Nov. 3, so you could also go there in person during opening hours and vote right there at the counter. More early voting locations will be opening throughout October.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And remember, if you’re \u003cem>not\u003c/em> actually registered to vote, you always have the option of \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/same-day-reg\">same-day voter registration\u003c/a>, also known as conditional voter registration, at a voting location, where you can then fill out and submit your ballot, too.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Contact your county directly\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Across the Bay Area, elections officials are encouraging voters to reach out — early — with any questions or concerns. Here’s the contact information for your county:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://acvote.alamedacountyca.gov/index\">\u003cstrong>Alameda\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: For information about voting by mail, registration and polling place lookup, call 510-267-8683\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.contracostavote.gov/elections/\">\u003cstrong>Contra Costa\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 925-335-7800 or email voter.services@vote.cccounty.us\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.marincounty.org/depts/rv\">\u003cstrong>Marin\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 415-473-6456 or go to the Marin County elections webpage to \u003ca href=\"https://www.marincounty.org/depts/rv/contact-us\">send a form email\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.countyofnapa.org/396/Elections\">\u003cstrong>Napa\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 707-253-4321 or email the elections office at elections@countyofnapa.org\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfelections.sfgov.org\">\u003cstrong>San Francisco\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 415-554-4375 or email sfvote@sfgov.org\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.smcacre.org/elections\">\u003cstrong>San Mateo\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 888- 762-8683 or email registrar@smcacre.org\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sccgov.org/sites/rov/Pages/Registrar-of-Voters.aspx\">\u003cstrong>Santa Clara\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call toll-free at 866-430-VOTE (8683) or email registrar@rov.sccgov.org\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.solanocounty.com/depts/rov/default.asp\">\u003cstrong>Solano\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>: \u003c/strong>Call 707-784-6675 or (888) 933-VOTE (8683). You can also email elections@solanocounty.com\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/CRA/Registrar-of-Voters/\">\u003cstrong>Sonoma\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 707-565-6800 or toll-free at 800-750-8683\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The state also has a full list of \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting-resources/county-elections-offices/\">every county elections office in California\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It’s time to vote in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> 2026 midterm election — which includes your chance to decide who’ll be the state’s next governor. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>It’s time to vote in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> 2026 midterm election — which includes your chance to decide who’ll be the state’s next governor. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you’re a registered California voter, your ballot is on its way in the next few days, if it hasn’t already arrived. Your last day to vote will be Election Day itself, Nov. 3.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>If you’re a registered California voter, your ballot is on its way in the next few days, if it hasn’t already arrived. Your last day to vote will be Election Day itself, Nov. 3.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But what if you’re unsure of how to fill that ballot out according to how you want to vote? Or what to do if you’ve made a mistake on it?\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>But what if you’re unsure of how to fill that ballot out according to how you want to vote? Or what to do if you’ve made a mistake on it?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Read on to learn how to fill out your ballot when it arrives, how important your signature is, and your options if you need to start again with a fresh ballot.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Read on to learn how to fill out your ballot when it arrives, how important your signature is, and your options if you need to start again with a fresh ballot.\u003c/p>\n"
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"Jump to: I messed up my ballot. What should I do? "
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Jump to: \u003ca href=\"#mistake\">I messed up my ballot. What should I do? \u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Jump to: \u003ca href=\"#mistake\">I messed up my ballot. What should I do? \u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "First of all: Am I registered to vote?",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">First of all: Am I registered to vote?\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The official deadline to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/\">register online to vote \u003c/a>is Monday, Oct. 19.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The official deadline to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/\">register online to vote \u003c/a>is Monday, Oct. 19.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>So if you’re unsure whether you’re already registered to vote or can’t remember which party preference you already have, \u003ca href=\"https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/\">check your voter registration details\u003c/a> ASAP.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>So if you’re unsure whether you’re already registered to vote or can’t remember which party preference you already have, \u003ca href=\"https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/\">check your voter registration details\u003c/a> ASAP.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/YouthVoterGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102009\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/YouthVoterGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/YouthVoterGetty-160x102.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/YouthVoterGetty-1536x979.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Potential young voters get information at a voter registration desk at Voter Fest 2024, an event designed to engage young voters and historically underserved communities on Oct. 22, 2024, at Cal State Los Angeles.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/YouthVoterGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102009\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Potential young voters get information at a voter registration desk at Voter Fest 2024, an event designed to engage young voters and historically underserved communities on Oct. 22, 2024, at Cal State Los Angeles.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Remember, if you’ve changed your name or want to change the political party choice you previously registered to vote with, or you’ve moved address, you’ll need to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/\">re-register\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Remember, if you’ve changed your name or want to change the political party choice you previously registered to vote with, or you’ve moved address, you’ll need to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/\">re-register\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Making sure you’re registered — and to the right address — is crucial for getting your ballot on time. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Making sure you’re registered — and to the right address — is crucial for getting your ballot on time. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And if you miss the deadline to register, don’t panic: That’s the last day to do it \u003cem>online\u003c/em>. After Oct. 19, you can still complete the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/same-day-reg/\">same-day voter registration\u003c/a> process (also known as “conditional voting”) and receive your ballot in person at your county elections office or polling location, all the way up to 8 p.m. on Election Day itself.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>And if you miss the deadline to register, don’t panic: That’s the last day to do it \u003cem>online\u003c/em>. After Oct. 19, you can still complete the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/same-day-reg/\">same-day voter registration\u003c/a> process (also known as “conditional voting”) and receive your ballot in person at your county elections office or polling location, all the way up to 8 p.m. on Election Day itself.\u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "What’s on my 2026 midterm elections ballot?",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What’s on my 2026 midterm elections ballot?\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What’s on my 2026 midterm elections ballot?\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Depending on which county you live in, your California ballot will present you with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide\">a mix of races\u003c/a> to vote on.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Depending on which county you live in, your California ballot will present you with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide\">a mix of races\u003c/a> to vote on.\u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "The races for statewide offices include:"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The races for statewide offices include:\u003c/h3>\n",
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"Governor: Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton face off in a race to succeed Governor Gavin Newsom.",
"Insurance commissioner: Wildfires and inflation have thrown California into an insurance crisis. Two Democrats, Ben Allen and Jane Kim, are running to become the insurance industry’s chief regulator."
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide/california/governor\">Governor\u003c/a>: Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton face off in a race to succeed Governor Gavin Newsom.\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide/california/governor\">Governor\u003c/a>: Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton face off in a race to succeed Governor Gavin Newsom.\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide/california/insurance-commissioner\">Insurance commissioner\u003c/a>: Wildfires and inflation have thrown California into an insurance crisis. Two Democrats, Ben Allen and Jane Kim, are running to become the insurance industry’s chief regulator.\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide/california/insurance-commissioner\">Insurance commissioner\u003c/a>: Wildfires and inflation have thrown California into an insurance crisis. Two Democrats, Ben Allen and Jane Kim, are running to become the insurance industry’s chief regulator.\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped\">\n\n\u003c/figure>\n",
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null,
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null,
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/SteveHiltonAP.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12078808\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Steve Hilton speaks during the California gubernatorial candidate debate on Feb. 3, 2026, in San Francisco.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/SteveHiltonAP.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12078808\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Steve Hilton speaks during the California gubernatorial candidate debate on Feb. 3, 2026, in San Francisco.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/Xavier-Becerra-Getty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12086476\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Xavier Becerra, a candidate for governor, speaks to supporters on election night on June 2, 2026. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/Xavier-Becerra-Getty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12086476\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Xavier Becerra, a candidate for governor, speaks to supporters on election night on June 2, 2026. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
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"text": "A number of statewide propositions, including:"
},
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"\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A number of statewide propositions, including:\u003c/h3>\n"
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"Prop. 1: Should California issue $11.25 billion in general obligation bonds for affordable housing, homebuying opportunities and veterans and homelessness programs?",
"Prop 39: Should Californians be required to show ID for in-person and mail-in voting? ",
"Prop 40: Should California tax the wealth of billionaires to fund health care services?"
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null,
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide/california/proposition-1\">Prop. 1\u003c/a>: Should California issue $11.25 billion in general obligation bonds for affordable housing, homebuying opportunities and veterans and homelessness programs?\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide/california/proposition-1\">Prop. 1\u003c/a>: Should California issue $11.25 billion in general obligation bonds for affordable housing, homebuying opportunities and veterans and homelessness programs?\u003c/li>\n"
]
},
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide/california/proposition-39\">Prop 39\u003c/a>: Should Californians be required to show ID for in-person and mail-in voting? \u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide/california/proposition-39\">Prop 39\u003c/a>: Should Californians be required to show ID for in-person and mail-in voting? \u003c/li>\n"
]
},
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide/california/proposition-40\">Prop 40: \u003c/a>Should California tax the wealth of billionaires to fund health care services?\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide/california/proposition-40\">Prop 40: \u003c/a>Should California tax the wealth of billionaires to fund health care services?\u003c/li>\n"
]
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},
{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"level": 3,
"text": "Local measures and races "
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Local measures and races \u003c/h3>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Local measures and races \u003c/h3>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>These will depend on your Bay Area county or district. See \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide\">the KQED Voter Guide for more information\u003c/a> on what’s on your ballot this election season.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>These will depend on your Bay Area county or district. See \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide\">the KQED Voter Guide for more information\u003c/a> on what’s on your ballot this election season.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "How do I return my ballot when I’ve completed it?",
"level": 2
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How do I return my ballot when I’ve completed it?\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"level": 3,
"text": "Drop off your ballot in a secure ballot drop box"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Drop off your ballot in a secure ballot drop box\u003c/h3>\n",
"innerContent": [
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>These drop boxes \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/general-election-november-3-2026\">open by Oct. 5\u003c/a>, and once submitted, your ballot will be taken straight to your local county elections office.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>These drop boxes \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/general-election-november-3-2026\">open by Oct. 5\u003c/a>, and once submitted, your ballot will be taken straight to your local county elections office.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some elections officials strongly recommend using these drop boxes over using USPS. “We’re not really encouraging people to use the USPS to get their ballot here,” said Evelyn Mendez, Sonoma County’s registrar of voters. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Some elections officials strongly recommend using these drop boxes over using USPS. “We’re not really encouraging people to use the USPS to get their ballot here,” said Evelyn Mendez, Sonoma County’s registrar of voters. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Instead, Mendez tells voters to use county collection boxes because they skip the Postal Service altogether.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Instead, Mendez tells voters to use county collection boxes because they skip the Postal Service altogether.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
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"text": "Return your ballot through the Postal Service "
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The return postage is already paid for you. Keep in mind that the Postal Service must postmark your ballot envelope by the end of Election Day for your vote to count — and the last collection at many mailboxes is 5 p.m. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The return postage is already paid for you. Keep in mind that the Postal Service must postmark your ballot envelope by the end of Election Day for your vote to count — and the last collection at many mailboxes is 5 p.m. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>However, in the last two statewide elections, Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Attorney General Rob Bonta urged any voters planning to use USPS to mail in their ballots \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-and-secretary-state-weber-sacramento-vote-early-june\">at \u003cem>least \u003c/em>a week before Election Day\u003c/a> — to account for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103028/should-you-use-usps-to-mail-your-midterm-ballot-heres-what-california-election-officials-say\">changes in the way USPS is collected\u003c/a> and postmarked in many areas. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>However, in the last two statewide elections, Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Attorney General Rob Bonta urged any voters planning to use USPS to mail in their ballots \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-and-secretary-state-weber-sacramento-vote-early-june\">at \u003cem>least \u003c/em>a week before Election Day\u003c/a> — to account for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103028/should-you-use-usps-to-mail-your-midterm-ballot-heres-what-california-election-officials-say\">changes in the way USPS is collected\u003c/a> and postmarked in many areas. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And if you’re mailing your midterm ballot on Election Day itself, Weber’s office is recommending you \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/vote-mail\">“get a hand-stamped postmark\u003c/a> from a postal employee inside a United States Post Office” rather than simply dropping it in a USPS collection box.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And if you’re mailing your midterm ballot on Election Day itself, Weber’s office is recommending you \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/vote-mail\">“get a hand-stamped postmark\u003c/a> from a postal employee inside a United States Post Office” rather than simply dropping it in a USPS collection box.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
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"text": "Drop off your ballot in an open voting location"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Drop off your ballot in an open voting location\u003c/h3>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/general-election-november-3-2026\">The first vote centers open \u003c/a>Oct. 24 in certain counties, with more early voting locations opening Oct. 31.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/general-election-november-3-2026\">The first vote centers open \u003c/a>Oct. 24 in certain counties, with more early voting locations opening Oct. 31.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Submitting your ballot by hand this way is the top recommendation of Kim Alexander, president and founder of the non-partisan California Voter Foundation. You can fill your ballot out in-person at a voting location, and submit it directly there and then. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Submitting your ballot by hand this way is the top recommendation of Kim Alexander, president and founder of the non-partisan California Voter Foundation. You can fill your ballot out in-person at a voting location, and submit it directly there and then. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Or, if you live in \u003ca href=\"https://calvoter.org/content/sign-scan-and-go\">one of the California counties\u003c/a> which has adopted the “Sign & Go” system — in the Bay Area, that’s Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin and Napa — you can complete your ballot at your convenience at home, and then bring it to a participating vote center and sign the voter roster under penalty of perjury (just as you would for in-person voting) to submit it in person. And if you live in a county which has adopted “Sign, Scan & Go”, like San Mateo, you can do all of the above and then scan your ballot yourself to have your vote recorded immediately at the voting site. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Or, if you live in \u003ca href=\"https://calvoter.org/content/sign-scan-and-go\">one of the California counties\u003c/a> which has adopted the “Sign & Go” system — in the Bay Area, that’s Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin and Napa — you can complete your ballot at your convenience at home, and then bring it to a participating vote center and sign the voter roster under penalty of perjury (just as you would for in-person voting) to submit it in person. And if you live in a county which has adopted “Sign, Scan & Go”, like San Mateo, you can do all of the above and then scan your ballot yourself to have your vote recorded immediately at the voting site. \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Do I have to vote by mail?",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do I \u003cem>have\u003c/em> to vote by mail?\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>No. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/vote-mail\">If you’re registered to vote, you’ll be receiving a mail-in ballot by default\u003c/a> for the 2026 midterms, without requesting it. But voting by mail is still just one option that’s open to you.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>No. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/vote-mail\">If you’re registered to vote, you’ll be receiving a mail-in ballot by default\u003c/a> for the 2026 midterms, without requesting it. But voting by mail is still just one option that’s open to you.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>You can still vote in person, either at an early voting location before Election Day or on Election Day, Nov. 3, itself. \u003ca href=\"https://caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov/\">Early voting locations will open starting Oct. 24.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>You can still vote in person, either at an early voting location before Election Day or on Election Day, Nov. 3, itself. \u003ca href=\"https://caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov/\">Early voting locations will open starting Oct. 24.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241102_EARLYVOTINGMARIN_GC-5-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A person puts a yellow ballot envelope in a ballot drop box.\" class=\"wp-image-12012711\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241102_EARLYVOTINGMARIN_GC-5-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241102_EARLYVOTINGMARIN_GC-5-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241102_EARLYVOTINGMARIN_GC-5-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241102_EARLYVOTINGMARIN_GC-5-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241102_EARLYVOTINGMARIN_GC-5-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241102_EARLYVOTINGMARIN_GC-5-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A voter drops off their mail-in ballot at a drop box outside of Novato City Hall on Nov. 2, 2024.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241102_EARLYVOTINGMARIN_GC-5-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A person puts a yellow ballot envelope in a ballot drop box.\" class=\"wp-image-12012711\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A voter drops off their mail-in ballot at a drop box outside of Novato City Hall on Nov. 2, 2024.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "How do I fix a mistake on my ballot?",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How do I fix a mistake on my ballot?\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How do I fix a mistake on my ballot?\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It’s important to note that each county is slightly different in how they’d prefer you to address a mistake on your ballot, and will often provide specific details about corrections \u003cem>on\u003c/em> the ballot itself. If you have a specific question about your ballot that isn’t answered here, you can always contact your local registrar of voters for advice and instructions.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>It’s important to note that each county is slightly different in how they’d prefer you to address a mistake on your ballot, and will often provide specific details about corrections \u003cem>on\u003c/em> the ballot itself. If you have a specific question about your ballot that isn’t answered here, you can always contact your local registrar of voters for advice and instructions.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
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"text": "What if I have problems with my signature?"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What if I have problems with my signature?\u003c/h3>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What if I have problems with my signature?\u003c/h3>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>When you’re done filling out your ballot, you must sign the envelope. But two big mistakes people make with their signatures are:\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>When you’re done filling out your ballot, you must sign the envelope. But two big mistakes people make with their signatures are:\u003c/p>\n"
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"items": [
"Forgetting to sign their ballot entirely.",
"Making a signature that doesn’t match the signature they made when they registered to vote."
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n\u003c/ul>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Forgetting to sign their ballot entirely.\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>Forgetting to sign their ballot entirely.\u003c/li>\n"
]
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{
"blockName": "core/list-item",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Making a signature that doesn’t match the signature they made when they registered to vote.\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>Making a signature that doesn’t match the signature they made when they registered to vote.\u003c/li>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Why \u003cem>wouldn’t\u003c/em> your signature match the one on file? If you registered to vote at a young age, maybe your signature has changed over time. Or perhaps you registered to vote at the DMV and provided your signature on a screen with a stylus, which doesn’t quite replicate how you’d make your signature with a pen on paper.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Why \u003cem>wouldn’t\u003c/em> your signature match the one on file? If you registered to vote at a young age, maybe your signature has changed over time. Or perhaps you registered to vote at the DMV and provided your signature on a screen with a stylus, which doesn’t quite replicate how you’d make your signature with a pen on paper.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/251104-SCCVOTE-JG-05_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12088632\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/251104-SCCVOTE-JG-05_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/251104-SCCVOTE-JG-05_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/251104-SCCVOTE-JG-05_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Edgardo Domingo fills out a ballot at a voting booth at the Vietnamese American Cultural Center in San José on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/251104-SCCVOTE-JG-05_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12088632\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Edgardo Domingo fills out a ballot at a voting booth at the Vietnamese American Cultural Center in San José on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you registered this way, one simple way to avoid any signature problems is to take a quick glance at the signature that’s on your driver’s license or state ID — because that’s the one you want your ballot signature to match.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>If you registered this way, one simple way to avoid any signature problems is to take a quick glance at the signature that’s on your driver’s license or state ID — because that’s the one you want your ballot signature to match.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Even if you didn’t register at the DMV, that signature on your most recent license or state ID is still very likely the one to emulate. That’s because when you register to vote online, your county elections office electronically requests a copy of the signature the DMV \u003cem>currently\u003c/em> has for you, and this information is regularly updated.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Even if you didn’t register at the DMV, that signature on your most recent license or state ID is still very likely the one to emulate. That’s because when you register to vote online, your county elections office electronically requests a copy of the signature the DMV \u003cem>currently\u003c/em> has for you, and this information is regularly updated.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>To further set your mind at rest, know that California isn’t an “exact match” state, and doesn’t demand voters’ signatures 100% replicate the signature that’s on file.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>To further set your mind at rest, know that California isn’t an “exact match” state, and doesn’t demand voters’ signatures 100% replicate the signature that’s on file.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"level": 3,
"text": "What if I just don’t know my ‘correct’ signature I’m registered to vote with?"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What if I just don’t know my ‘correct’ signature I’m registered to vote with?\u003c/h3>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What if I just don’t know my ‘correct’ signature I’m registered to vote with?\u003c/h3>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you’re \u003cem>really\u003c/em> worried about the signature on your envelope not matching the signature you’re registered to vote with, there are two good solutions.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>If you’re \u003cem>really\u003c/em> worried about the signature on your envelope not matching the signature you’re registered to vote with, there are two good solutions.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One: If it’s on or before Oct. 19, you can \u003ca href=\"https://registertovote.ca.gov/\">reregister to vote with your current signature\u003c/a>, to be sure that the state now has your most recent one on file. If you are reregistering after Oct. 19, you’d need to complete the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/same-day-reg/\">same-day voter registration\u003c/a> process (also known as “conditional voting”) and request your ballot in person at your county elections office or polling location.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>One: If it’s on or before Oct. 19, you can \u003ca href=\"https://registertovote.ca.gov/\">reregister to vote with your current signature\u003c/a>, to be sure that the state now has your most recent one on file. If you are reregistering after Oct. 19, you’d need to complete the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/same-day-reg/\">same-day voter registration\u003c/a> process (also known as “conditional voting”) and request your ballot in person at your county elections office or polling location.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "kqed-v2/related-articles",
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"label": "2026 California Voter Guide",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 2021, the California Voter Foundation’s Alexander, told us there’s another solution if you’re worried about your signature: Go vote in person, if you’re able.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In 2021, the California Voter Foundation’s Alexander, told us there’s another solution if you’re worried about your signature: Go vote in person, if you’re able.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That’s because the signature goes only on your ballot’s \u003cem>envelope\u003c/em> — and if you’re voting in person, there’s no envelope, because that ballot then goes straight into the ballot box without needing that envelope at all.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>That’s because the signature goes only on your ballot’s \u003cem>envelope\u003c/em> — and if you’re voting in person, there’s no envelope, because that ballot then goes straight into the ballot box without needing that envelope at all.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“So if you want that satisfaction of seeing your ballot drop in the box and know that it’s not going to get held up because of some signature issue, you can go and vote in person,” said Alexander.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“So if you want that satisfaction of seeing your ballot drop in the box and know that it’s not going to get held up because of some signature issue, you can go and vote in person,” said Alexander.\u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"level": 3,
"text": "I already mailed my ballot, but now I’m paranoid about my signature. What if I messed it up?"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">I already mailed my ballot, but now I’m paranoid about my signature. What if I messed it up?\u003c/h3>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">I already mailed my ballot, but now I’m paranoid about my signature. What if I messed it up?\u003c/h3>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Rest assured: There’s a whole system in place to help you correct your mistake.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Rest assured: There’s a whole system in place to help you correct your mistake.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If your county’s election office detects a signature mismatch on your ballot, they’ll reach out to you via mail to verify and work with you to correct it, so that your ballot can be counted after all. It’s called “curing” a ballot.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>If your county’s election office detects a signature mismatch on your ballot, they’ll reach out to you via mail to verify and work with you to correct it, so that your ballot can be counted after all. It’s called “curing” a ballot.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This system is also applied when it looks like a member of a voter’s family might have signed their ballot, instead of the voter. This happens a \u003cem>surprising\u003c/em> amount when one household has several voters who all receive a ballot in the mail.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>This system is also applied when it looks like a member of a voter’s family might have signed their ballot, instead of the voter. This happens a \u003cem>surprising\u003c/em> amount when one household has several voters who all receive a ballot in the mail.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One way to get peace of mind: \u003ca href=\"https://california.ballottrax.net/voter/\">Sign up to track your ballot\u003c/a>, and you’ll find out about any issues with your ballot or your signature quickly.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>One way to get peace of mind: \u003ca href=\"https://california.ballottrax.net/voter/\">Sign up to track your ballot\u003c/a>, and you’ll find out about any issues with your ballot or your signature quickly.\u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "I made a mistake on my ballot. How do I fix it?",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"mistake\">I made a mistake on my ballot. How do I fix it?\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"mistake\">I made a mistake on my ballot. How do I fix it?\u003c/h2>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>First, don’t panic. People make mistakes on ballots and find good ways to correct them.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>First, don’t panic. People make mistakes on ballots and find good ways to correct them.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Counties give different directions to voters about what to do if they make a mistake (remember: Read the instructions!), but you can usually simply X out the choice you didn’t intend.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Counties give different directions to voters about what to do if they make a mistake (remember: Read the instructions!), but you can usually simply X out the choice you didn’t intend.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260602_PRIMARY2026CD4_GC-20-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12085889\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260602_PRIMARY2026CD4_GC-20-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260602_PRIMARY2026CD4_GC-20-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260602_PRIMARY2026CD4_GC-20-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Voters cast their ballots at UC Davis in Davis on June 2, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260602_PRIMARY2026CD4_GC-20-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12085889\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Voters cast their ballots at UC Davis in Davis on June 2, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The job of county elections officials — once they’ve verified your signature — is to make sure your ballot can be read correctly. If that means that your corrections on your ballot have resulted in readability issues, officials working in teams of two will actually remake it for you according to the intent you’ve signaled with your corrections.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The job of county elections officials — once they’ve verified your signature — is to make sure your ballot can be read correctly. If that means that your corrections on your ballot have resulted in readability issues, officials working in teams of two will actually remake it for you according to the intent you’ve signaled with your corrections.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some counties, like Alameda, ask that you actually contact them first if you make a serious mistake — including voting for the wrong candidate — so they can send you a replacement ballot. So, wherever you live, it’s a good idea to check with your local elections office first to see what \u003cem>they\u003c/em> recommend if you made a mistake.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Some counties, like Alameda, ask that you actually contact them first if you make a serious mistake — including voting for the wrong candidate — so they can send you a replacement ballot. So, wherever you live, it’s a good idea to check with your local elections office first to see what \u003cem>they\u003c/em> recommend if you made a mistake.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And remember, there’s always this option …\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And remember, there’s always this option …\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "What if I just want a new ballot?",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What if I just want a new ballot?\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you’ve made a big mistake on your ballot — too big to fix — your best plan of action may be to focus on getting a new one. And that’s totally OK. You can:\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>If you’ve made a big mistake on your ballot — too big to fix — your best plan of action may be to focus on getting a new one. And that’s totally OK. You can:\u003c/p>\n"
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"Call your county elections office and ask them to cancel that ballot and issue a new one to you.",
"Go to your county elections office with your spoiled ballot during business hours and vote right there at the counter.",
"Take advantage of the early voting options available in many counties.",
"Go to a voting site on Election Day, Nov. 3, turn in your spoiled ballot there and get a new ballot."
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003c/ul>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Call your county elections office and ask them to cancel that ballot and issue a new one to you.\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>Call your county elections office and ask them to cancel that ballot and issue a new one to you.\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Go to your county elections office with your spoiled ballot during business hours and vote right there at the counter.\u003c/li>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Take advantage of the early voting options available in many counties.\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>Take advantage of the early voting options available in many counties.\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Go to a voting site on Election Day, Nov. 3, turn in your spoiled ballot there and get a new ballot.\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>Go to a voting site on Election Day, Nov. 3, turn in your spoiled ballot there and get a new ballot.\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>You can also do this if you’ve accidentally damaged your ballot in some way (coffee spills happen).\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>You can also do this if you’ve accidentally damaged your ballot in some way (coffee spills happen).\u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "I think I put the wrong date on my envelope",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">I think I put the wrong date on my envelope\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">I think I put the wrong date on my envelope\u003c/h2>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>First off, that date should be the date you signed your envelope — not your date of birth. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>First off, that date should be the date you signed your envelope — not your date of birth. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But if you’re worried you messed up the date, don’t worry. Elections officials say that the date they’re \u003cem>really\u003c/em> looking for is the date that the ballot is postmarked, to make sure it was submitted on time.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>But if you’re worried you messed up the date, don’t worry. Elections officials say that the date they’re \u003cem>really\u003c/em> looking for is the date that the ballot is postmarked, to make sure it was submitted on time.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/002_KQED_SanFrancisco_Election2020_MailinBallot_10122020_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12099795\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/002_KQED_SanFrancisco_Election2020_MailinBallot_10122020_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/002_KQED_SanFrancisco_Election2020_MailinBallot_10122020_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/002_KQED_SanFrancisco_Election2020_MailinBallot_10122020_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A San Francisco official mail-in ballot for the Nov. 3, 2020 election.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/002_KQED_SanFrancisco_Election2020_MailinBallot_10122020_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12099795\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A San Francisco official mail-in ballot for the Nov. 3, 2020 election.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Election officials will only truly scrutinize the date you’ve written if they receive your ballot \u003cem>after\u003c/em> Election Day.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Election officials will only truly scrutinize the date you’ve written if they receive your ballot \u003cem>after\u003c/em> Election Day.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And if you haven’t mailed your envelope yet, it’s an easy fix: Just clearly cross out the incorrect date on the envelope and write in the correct one above it.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>And if you haven’t mailed your envelope yet, it’s an easy fix: Just clearly cross out the incorrect date on the envelope and write in the correct one above it.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "What if I use assistive technology to complete forms?",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What if I use assistive technology to complete forms?\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Getting physical assistance with filling out your ballot from someone you trust is always fine, whether you’re voting at home or at a voting site. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Getting physical assistance with filling out your ballot from someone you trust is always fine, whether you’re voting at home or at a voting site. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>You just need to make sure your signature is your own and matches the one you’re registered to vote with.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>You just need to make sure your signature is your own and matches the one you’re registered to vote with.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251030-BAYAREAVOTERS-32-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12062371\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251030-BAYAREAVOTERS-32-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251030-BAYAREAVOTERS-32-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251030-BAYAREAVOTERS-32-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tessa King drops off a ballot at the City Hall Voting Center in San Francisco on Oct. 30, 2025, ahead of the statewide special election.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251030-BAYAREAVOTERS-32-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12062371\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tessa King drops off a ballot at the City Hall Voting Center in San Francisco on Oct. 30, 2025, ahead of the statewide special election.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Disabled voters can also choose to use the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting-resources/remote-accessible-vote-mail\">Remote Accessible Vote-by-Mail\u003c/a> system to vote privately and independently at home, using their usual assistive device on their home computer to fill out the ballot on their screen and then print and mail it.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Disabled voters can also choose to use the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting-resources/remote-accessible-vote-mail\">Remote Accessible Vote-by-Mail\u003c/a> system to vote privately and independently at home, using their usual assistive device on their home computer to fill out the ballot on their screen and then print and mail it.\u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Every voting location in California is also equipped with an accessible voting unit. Here, voters with blindness or low vision or who have a disability that limits their dexterity, will be able to use the assistive device of their choice that allows them to vote privately and independently.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Every voting location in California is also equipped with an accessible voting unit. Here, voters with blindness or low vision or who have a disability that limits their dexterity, will be able to use the assistive device of their choice that allows them to vote privately and independently.\u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "How can I make sure my mail-in ballot gets there on time? ",
"level": 2
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How can I make sure my mail-in ballot gets there on time? \u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How can I make sure my mail-in ballot gets there on time? \u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Remember, one big reason that ballots get disqualified in elections is that voters mail them too late: either too late on Election Day itself (after U.S. Postal Service mailboxes have already been collected), or after Election Day.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Remember, one big reason that ballots get disqualified in elections is that voters mail them too late: either too late on Election Day itself (after U.S. Postal Service mailboxes have already been collected), or after Election Day.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>To be counted in this election, your ballot must be postmarked on Election Day, Nov. 3, at the latest. Your ballot has seven days to reach your county elections office.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>To be counted in this election, your ballot must be postmarked on Election Day, Nov. 3, at the latest. Your ballot has seven days to reach your county elections office.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>So in this election, it’s as crucial as ever to make sure you have a plan for voting on time. And if you’re not voting in person, that means making sure you get your ballot into a USPS mailbox or into a secure voting drop box, at a polling location or your county elections office, by the time polls close on Nov. 3.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>So in this election, it’s as crucial as ever to make sure you have a plan for voting on time. And if you’re not voting in person, that means making sure you get your ballot into a USPS mailbox or into a secure voting drop box, at a polling location or your county elections office, by the time polls close on Nov. 3.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Read more about why \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103028/should-you-use-usps-to-mail-your-midterm-ballot-heres-what-california-election-officials-say\">California election officials are urging voters to make sure their ballot arrives on time\u003c/a> – and why they’re urging caution around using USPS too close to Election Day.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Read more about why \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103028/should-you-use-usps-to-mail-your-midterm-ballot-heres-what-california-election-officials-say\">California election officials are urging voters to make sure their ballot arrives on time\u003c/a> – and why they’re urging caution around using USPS too close to Election Day.\u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "A few other common ballot mistakes to watch out for …",
"level": 2
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A few other common ballot mistakes to watch out for …\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A few other common ballot mistakes to watch out for …\u003c/h2>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"level": 3,
"text": "Make sure you’re filling out and signing the ballot and envelope with your name on it:"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Make sure you’re filling out and signing the ballot and envelope with \u003cem>your\u003c/em> name on it: \u003c/h3>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Make sure you’re filling out and signing the ballot and envelope with \u003cem>your\u003c/em> name on it: \u003c/h3>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It’s common to see partners or roommates accidentally mix up their ballots. So make sure you’re signing the document that bears your name.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>It’s common to see partners or roommates accidentally mix up their ballots. So make sure you’re signing the document that bears your name.\u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"level": 3,
"text": "Make sure you use a black or blue pen:"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Make sure you use a black or blue pen: \u003c/h3>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Make sure you use a black or blue pen: \u003c/h3>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It reads better, and it doesn’t slow workers down when they have to check to see what voter intent was. (Don’t use a felt-tip or a Sharpie that bleeds through the paper and marks other pages on your ballot.)\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>It reads better, and it doesn’t slow workers down when they have to check to see what voter intent was. (Don’t use a felt-tip or a Sharpie that bleeds through the paper and marks other pages on your ballot.)\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
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{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12084638,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"align": "center",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/003_KQED_SanFrancisco_Election2020_TanyaYule_10092020_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/003_KQED_SanFrancisco_Election2020_TanyaYule_10092020_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/003_KQED_SanFrancisco_Election2020_TanyaYule_10092020_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/003_KQED_SanFrancisco_Election2020_TanyaYule_10092020_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12084638\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/003_KQED_SanFrancisco_Election2020_TanyaYule_10092020_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/003_KQED_SanFrancisco_Election2020_TanyaYule_10092020_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/003_KQED_SanFrancisco_Election2020_TanyaYule_10092020_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tanya Yule looks over a voting guide at her home in San Francisco on Oct. 9, 2020.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/003_KQED_SanFrancisco_Election2020_TanyaYule_10092020_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12084638\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tanya Yule looks over a voting guide at her home in San Francisco on Oct. 9, 2020.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"level": 3,
"text": "Don’t mail an empty envelope:"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Don’t mail an empty envelope: \u003c/h3>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Don’t mail an empty envelope: \u003c/h3>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It does happen. Keeping your envelope and your ballot together in your home might be a helpful way of avoiding this problem. And of course, when you’re ready to mail your ballot, make sure it’s actually inside the envelope before you seal it.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>It does happen. Keeping your envelope and your ballot together in your home might be a helpful way of avoiding this problem. And of course, when you’re ready to mail your ballot, make sure it’s actually inside the envelope before you seal it.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"level": 3,
"text": "Don’t bother with a stamp:"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Don’t bother with a stamp: \u003c/h3>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Don’t bother with a stamp: \u003c/h3>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Your ballot envelope is postage-paid. You don’t need it.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Your ballot envelope is postage-paid. You don’t need it.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "My ballot is missing or hasn’t arrived. What should I do?",
"level": 2
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">My ballot is missing or hasn’t arrived. What should I do?\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">My ballot is missing or hasn’t arrived. What should I do?\u003c/h2>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you’re reading this and you’re worried that your ballot hasn’t arrived yet, make sure you’re not worrying \u003cem>too \u003c/em>early, as the deadline for counties to \u003cem>start \u003c/em>sending out ballots is only Oct. 5.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>If you’re reading this and you’re worried that your ballot hasn’t arrived yet, make sure you’re not worrying \u003cem>too \u003c/em>early, as the deadline for counties to \u003cem>start \u003c/em>sending out ballots is only Oct. 5.\u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But if it gets to late October and your ballot still hasn’t materialized, don’t panic: You have options. Here’s what to do:\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>But if it gets to late October and your ballot still hasn’t materialized, don’t panic: You have options. Here’s what to do:\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"level": 3,
"text": "Check that you’re actually registered to vote — and to the right address"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Check that you’re actually registered to vote — and to the right address\u003c/h3>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Check that you’re actually registered to vote — and to the right address\u003c/h3>\n"
],
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},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/\">Input your details on the secretary of state’s voter status page\u003c/a> to check your registration status. This will show whether you’re actually registered to vote, and to which address. It should also show whether your ballot was mailed out.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/\">Input your details on the secretary of state’s voter status page\u003c/a> to check your registration status. This will show whether you’re actually registered to vote, and to which address. It should also show whether your ballot was mailed out.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>You can also use \u003ca href=\"https://california.ballottrax.net/voter/\">the Where’s My Ballot? tool\u003c/a> to check whether your ballot has been sent.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>You can also use \u003ca href=\"https://california.ballottrax.net/voter/\">the Where’s My Ballot? tool\u003c/a> to check whether your ballot has been sent.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12095745,
"sizeSlug": "full",
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"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095745\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A voter is given a sticker after dropping his ballot at City Hall in San Francisco on Oct. 30, 2025, ahead of the statewide special election.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095745\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A voter is given a sticker after dropping his ballot at City Hall in San Francisco on Oct. 30, 2025, ahead of the statewide special election.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"level": 3,
"text": "If you’re registered to the wrong address, you can update it before Oct. 19 "
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">If you’re registered to the wrong address, you can update it before Oct. 19 \u003c/h3>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">If you’re registered to the wrong address, you can update it before Oct. 19 \u003c/h3>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you update your voter registration and address using \u003ca href=\"https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/\">the secretary of state’s voter status page\u003c/a> before the Oct. 19 deadline to register online, your county will cancel the ballot that went to your old address and send you a new one.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>If you update your voter registration and address using \u003ca href=\"https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/\">the secretary of state’s voter status page\u003c/a> before the Oct. 19 deadline to register online, your county will cancel the ballot that went to your old address and send you a new one.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And if it turns out your ballot \u003cem>was \u003c/em>missing because your voter registration wasn’t updated, don’t feel bad — people move all the time and forget to update their registrations accordingly.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>And if it turns out your ballot \u003cem>was \u003c/em>missing because your voter registration wasn’t updated, don’t feel bad — people move all the time and forget to update their registrations accordingly.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
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{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The California Voter Foundation’s Alexander confirmed to KQED in 2021 that updating your address at the post office doesn’t, in fact, update your voter registration. The DMV, on the other hand, \u003cem>will\u003c/em> update your voter registration details if you update your address with them.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The California Voter Foundation’s Alexander confirmed to KQED in 2021 that updating your address at the post office doesn’t, in fact, update your voter registration. The DMV, on the other hand, \u003cem>will\u003c/em> update your voter registration details if you update your address with them.\u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"level": 3,
"text": "If your voter registration address was correct but your ballot never showed up, you still have options"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">If your voter registration address was correct but your ballot never showed up, you still have options\u003c/h3>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">If your voter registration address was correct but your ballot never showed up, you still have options\u003c/h3>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
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{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If it’s more than six days before Election Day, you can call your county elections office and ask them to send a new ballot. Find your county elections office in our contact list (below). \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>If it’s more than six days before Election Day, you can call your county elections office and ask them to send a new ballot. Find your county elections office in our contact list (below). \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Your county elections office won’t mail you a ballot six days or less before Election Day, because it can’t be sure it’ll reach you in time. So if you’re trying to get a ballot in the immediate run-up to Election Day, go to your county elections office in person and request one at the counter.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Your county elections office won’t mail you a ballot six days or less before Election Day, because it can’t be sure it’ll reach you in time. So if you’re trying to get a ballot in the immediate run-up to Election Day, go to your county elections office in person and request one at the counter.\u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12087079,
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"linkDestination": "none",
"align": "center",
"alt": ""
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/CaliforniaElection2026Getty-e1781204236548.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087079\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An election worker processes mail-in ballots for the California state primary election at the Los Angeles County Ballot Processing Center on June 5, 2026, in City of Industry, California.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/CaliforniaElection2026Getty-e1781204236548.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087079\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An election worker processes mail-in ballots for the California state primary election at the Los Angeles County Ballot Processing Center on June 5, 2026, in City of Industry, California.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
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},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>From Oct. 5, your county elections office will be open for early voting through Nov. 3, so you could also go there in person during opening hours and vote right there at the counter. More early voting locations will be opening throughout October.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>From Oct. 5, your county elections office will be open for early voting through Nov. 3, so you could also go there in person during opening hours and vote right there at the counter. More early voting locations will be opening throughout October.\u003c/p>\n"
],
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{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And remember, if you’re \u003cem>not\u003c/em> actually registered to vote, you always have the option of \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/same-day-reg\">same-day voter registration\u003c/a>, also known as conditional voter registration, at a voting location, where you can then fill out and submit your ballot, too.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>And remember, if you’re \u003cem>not\u003c/em> actually registered to vote, you always have the option of \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/same-day-reg\">same-day voter registration\u003c/a>, also known as conditional voter registration, at a voting location, where you can then fill out and submit your ballot, too.\u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Contact your county directly",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Contact your county directly\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Across the Bay Area, elections officials are encouraging voters to reach out — early — with any questions or concerns. Here’s the contact information for your county:\u003c/p>\n",
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"Alameda: For information about voting by mail, registration and polling place lookup, call 510-267-8683",
"Contra Costa: Call 925-335-7800 or email voter.services@vote.cccounty.us",
"Marin: Call 415-473-6456 or go to the Marin County elections webpage to send a form email",
"Napa: Call 707-253-4321 or email the elections office at elections@countyofnapa.org",
"San Francisco: Call 415-554-4375 or email sfvote@sfgov.org",
"San Mateo: Call 888- 762-8683 or email registrar@smcacre.org",
"Santa Clara: Call toll-free at 866-430-VOTE (8683) or email registrar@rov.sccgov.org",
"Solano: Call 707-784-6675 or (888) 933-VOTE (8683). You can also email elections@solanocounty.com",
"Sonoma: Call 707-565-6800 or toll-free at 800-750-8683"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://acvote.alamedacountyca.gov/index\">\u003cstrong>Alameda\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: For information about voting by mail, registration and polling place lookup, call 510-267-8683\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://acvote.alamedacountyca.gov/index\">\u003cstrong>Alameda\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: For information about voting by mail, registration and polling place lookup, call 510-267-8683\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.contracostavote.gov/elections/\">\u003cstrong>Contra Costa\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 925-335-7800 or email voter.services@vote.cccounty.us\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.contracostavote.gov/elections/\">\u003cstrong>Contra Costa\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 925-335-7800 or email voter.services@vote.cccounty.us\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.marincounty.org/depts/rv\">\u003cstrong>Marin\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 415-473-6456 or go to the Marin County elections webpage to \u003ca href=\"https://www.marincounty.org/depts/rv/contact-us\">send a form email\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.marincounty.org/depts/rv\">\u003cstrong>Marin\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 415-473-6456 or go to the Marin County elections webpage to \u003ca href=\"https://www.marincounty.org/depts/rv/contact-us\">send a form email\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.countyofnapa.org/396/Elections\">\u003cstrong>Napa\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 707-253-4321 or email the elections office at elections@countyofnapa.org\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.countyofnapa.org/396/Elections\">\u003cstrong>Napa\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 707-253-4321 or email the elections office at elections@countyofnapa.org\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfelections.sfgov.org\">\u003cstrong>San Francisco\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 415-554-4375 or email sfvote@sfgov.org\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfelections.sfgov.org\">\u003cstrong>San Francisco\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 415-554-4375 or email sfvote@sfgov.org\u003c/li>\n"
]
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.smcacre.org/elections\">\u003cstrong>San Mateo\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 888- 762-8683 or email registrar@smcacre.org\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.smcacre.org/elections\">\u003cstrong>San Mateo\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 888- 762-8683 or email registrar@smcacre.org\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sccgov.org/sites/rov/Pages/Registrar-of-Voters.aspx\">\u003cstrong>Santa Clara\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call toll-free at 866-430-VOTE (8683) or email registrar@rov.sccgov.org\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sccgov.org/sites/rov/Pages/Registrar-of-Voters.aspx\">\u003cstrong>Santa Clara\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call toll-free at 866-430-VOTE (8683) or email registrar@rov.sccgov.org\u003c/li>\n"
]
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.solanocounty.com/depts/rov/default.asp\">\u003cstrong>Solano\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>: \u003c/strong>Call 707-784-6675 or (888) 933-VOTE (8683). You can also email elections@solanocounty.com\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.solanocounty.com/depts/rov/default.asp\">\u003cstrong>Solano\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>: \u003c/strong>Call 707-784-6675 or (888) 933-VOTE (8683). You can also email elections@solanocounty.com\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/CRA/Registrar-of-Voters/\">\u003cstrong>Sonoma\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 707-565-6800 or toll-free at 800-750-8683\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/CRA/Registrar-of-Voters/\">\u003cstrong>Sonoma\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 707-565-6800 or toll-free at 800-750-8683\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The state also has a full list of \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting-resources/county-elections-offices/\">every county elections office in California\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The state also has a full list of \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting-resources/county-elections-offices/\">every county elections office in California\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "From the signature on your envelope to what happens if you make a mistake on your ballot, here's how to correctly cast your vote in the 2026 California midterm elections.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>It’s time to vote in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> 2026 midterm election — which includes your chance to decide who’ll be the state’s next governor. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you’re a registered California voter, your ballot is on its way in the next few days, if it hasn’t already arrived. Your last day to vote will be Election Day itself, Nov. 3.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But what if you’re unsure of how to fill that ballot out according to how you want to vote? Or what to do if you’ve made a mistake on it?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Read on to learn how to fill out your ballot when it arrives, how important your signature is, and your options if you need to start again with a fresh ballot.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Jump to: \u003ca href=\"#mistake\">I messed up my ballot. What should I do? \u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">First of all: Am I registered to vote?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The official deadline to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/\">register online to vote \u003c/a>is Monday, Oct. 19.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>So if you’re unsure whether you’re already registered to vote or can’t remember which party preference you already have, \u003ca href=\"https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/\">check your voter registration details\u003c/a> ASAP.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1275\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/YouthVoterGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102009\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/YouthVoterGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/YouthVoterGetty-160x102.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/YouthVoterGetty-1536x979.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Potential young voters get information at a voter registration desk at Voter Fest 2024, an event designed to engage young voters and historically underserved communities on Oct. 22, 2024, at Cal State Los Angeles. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Remember, if you’ve changed your name or want to change the political party choice you previously registered to vote with, or you’ve moved address, you’ll need to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/\">re-register\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Making sure you’re registered — and to the right address — is crucial for getting your ballot on time. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And if you miss the deadline to register, don’t panic: That’s the last day to do it \u003cem>online\u003c/em>. After Oct. 19, you can still complete the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/same-day-reg/\">same-day voter registration\u003c/a> process (also known as “conditional voting”) and receive your ballot in person at your county elections office or polling location, all the way up to 8 p.m. on Election Day itself.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What’s on my 2026 midterm elections ballot?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Depending on which county you live in, your California ballot will present you with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide\">a mix of races\u003c/a> to vote on.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The races for statewide offices include:\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide/california/governor\">Governor\u003c/a>: Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton face off in a race to succeed Governor Gavin Newsom.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide/california/insurance-commissioner\">Insurance commissioner\u003c/a>: Wildfires and inflation have thrown California into an insurance crisis. Two Democrats, Ben Allen and Jane Kim, are running to become the insurance industry’s chief regulator.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12078808\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/SteveHiltonAP.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12078808\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/SteveHiltonAP.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/SteveHiltonAP-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/SteveHiltonAP-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Steve Hilton speaks during the California gubernatorial candidate debate on Feb. 3, 2026, in San Francisco. (Laure Andrillon/AP Photo)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12086476\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/Xavier-Becerra-Getty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12086476\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/Xavier-Becerra-Getty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/Xavier-Becerra-Getty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/Xavier-Becerra-Getty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Xavier Becerra, a candidate for governor, speaks to supporters on election night on June 2, 2026. (David Crane/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A number of statewide propositions, including:\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide/california/proposition-1\">Prop. 1\u003c/a>: Should California issue $11.25 billion in general obligation bonds for affordable housing, homebuying opportunities and veterans and homelessness programs?\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide/california/proposition-39\">Prop 39\u003c/a>: Should Californians be required to show ID for in-person and mail-in voting? \u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide/california/proposition-40\">Prop 40: \u003c/a>Should California tax the wealth of billionaires to fund health care services?\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Local measures and races \u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>These will depend on your Bay Area county or district. See \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide\">the KQED Voter Guide for more information\u003c/a> on what’s on your ballot this election season.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How do I return my ballot when I’ve completed it?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Drop off your ballot in a secure ballot drop box\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>These drop boxes \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/general-election-november-3-2026\">open by Oct. 5\u003c/a>, and once submitted, your ballot will be taken straight to your local county elections office.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some elections officials strongly recommend using these drop boxes over using USPS. “We’re not really encouraging people to use the USPS to get their ballot here,” said Evelyn Mendez, Sonoma County’s registrar of voters. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Instead, Mendez tells voters to use county collection boxes because they skip the Postal Service altogether.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Return your ballot through the Postal Service \u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The return postage is already paid for you. Keep in mind that the Postal Service must postmark your ballot envelope by the end of Election Day for your vote to count — and the last collection at many mailboxes is 5 p.m. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>However, in the last two statewide elections, Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Attorney General Rob Bonta urged any voters planning to use USPS to mail in their ballots \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-and-secretary-state-weber-sacramento-vote-early-june\">at \u003cem>least \u003c/em>a week before Election Day\u003c/a> — to account for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103028/should-you-use-usps-to-mail-your-midterm-ballot-heres-what-california-election-officials-say\">changes in the way USPS is collected\u003c/a> and postmarked in many areas. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And if you’re mailing your midterm ballot on Election Day itself, Weber’s office is recommending you \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/vote-mail\">“get a hand-stamped postmark\u003c/a> from a postal employee inside a United States Post Office” rather than simply dropping it in a USPS collection box.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Drop off your ballot in an open voting location\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/general-election-november-3-2026\">The first vote centers open \u003c/a>Oct. 24 in certain counties, with more early voting locations opening Oct. 31.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Submitting your ballot by hand this way is the top recommendation of Kim Alexander, president and founder of the non-partisan California Voter Foundation. You can fill your ballot out in-person at a voting location, and submit it directly there and then. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Or, if you live in \u003ca href=\"https://calvoter.org/content/sign-scan-and-go\">one of the California counties\u003c/a> which has adopted the “Sign & Go” system — in the Bay Area, that’s Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin and Napa — you can complete your ballot at your convenience at home, and then bring it to a participating vote center and sign the voter roster under penalty of perjury (just as you would for in-person voting) to submit it in person. And if you live in a county which has adopted “Sign, Scan & Go”, like San Mateo, you can do all of the above and then scan your ballot yourself to have your vote recorded immediately at the voting site. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do I \u003cem>have\u003c/em> to vote by mail?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>No. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/vote-mail\">If you’re registered to vote, you’ll be receiving a mail-in ballot by default\u003c/a> for the 2026 midterms, without requesting it. But voting by mail is still just one option that’s open to you.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>You can still vote in person, either at an early voting location before Election Day or on Election Day, Nov. 3, itself. \u003ca href=\"https://caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov/\">Early voting locations will open starting Oct. 24.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241102_EARLYVOTINGMARIN_GC-5-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A person puts a yellow ballot envelope in a ballot drop box.\" class=\"wp-image-12012711\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241102_EARLYVOTINGMARIN_GC-5-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241102_EARLYVOTINGMARIN_GC-5-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241102_EARLYVOTINGMARIN_GC-5-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241102_EARLYVOTINGMARIN_GC-5-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241102_EARLYVOTINGMARIN_GC-5-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/20241102_EARLYVOTINGMARIN_GC-5-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A voter drops off their mail-in ballot at a drop box outside of Novato City Hall on Nov. 2, 2024. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How do I fix a mistake on my ballot?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s important to note that each county is slightly different in how they’d prefer you to address a mistake on your ballot, and will often provide specific details about corrections \u003cem>on\u003c/em> the ballot itself. If you have a specific question about your ballot that isn’t answered here, you can always contact your local registrar of voters for advice and instructions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What if I have problems with my signature?\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When you’re done filling out your ballot, you must sign the envelope. But two big mistakes people make with their signatures are:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>Forgetting to sign their ballot entirely.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Making a signature that doesn’t match the signature they made when they registered to vote.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Why \u003cem>wouldn’t\u003c/em> your signature match the one on file? If you registered to vote at a young age, maybe your signature has changed over time. Or perhaps you registered to vote at the DMV and provided your signature on a screen with a stylus, which doesn’t quite replicate how you’d make your signature with a pen on paper.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/251104-SCCVOTE-JG-05_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12088632\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/251104-SCCVOTE-JG-05_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/251104-SCCVOTE-JG-05_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/251104-SCCVOTE-JG-05_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Edgardo Domingo fills out a ballot at a voting booth at the Vietnamese American Cultural Center in San José on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>If you registered this way, one simple way to avoid any signature problems is to take a quick glance at the signature that’s on your driver’s license or state ID — because that’s the one you want your ballot signature to match.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Even if you didn’t register at the DMV, that signature on your most recent license or state ID is still very likely the one to emulate. That’s because when you register to vote online, your county elections office electronically requests a copy of the signature the DMV \u003cem>currently\u003c/em> has for you, and this information is regularly updated.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>To further set your mind at rest, know that California isn’t an “exact match” state, and doesn’t demand voters’ signatures 100% replicate the signature that’s on file.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What if I just don’t know my ‘correct’ signature I’m registered to vote with?\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you’re \u003cem>really\u003c/em> worried about the signature on your envelope not matching the signature you’re registered to vote with, there are two good solutions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One: If it’s on or before Oct. 19, you can \u003ca href=\"https://registertovote.ca.gov/\">reregister to vote with your current signature\u003c/a>, to be sure that the state now has your most recent one on file. If you are reregistering after Oct. 19, you’d need to complete the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/same-day-reg/\">same-day voter registration\u003c/a> process (also known as “conditional voting”) and request your ballot in person at your county elections office or polling location.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2021, the California Voter Foundation’s Alexander, told us there’s another solution if you’re worried about your signature: Go vote in person, if you’re able.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s because the signature goes only on your ballot’s \u003cem>envelope\u003c/em> — and if you’re voting in person, there’s no envelope, because that ballot then goes straight into the ballot box without needing that envelope at all.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“So if you want that satisfaction of seeing your ballot drop in the box and know that it’s not going to get held up because of some signature issue, you can go and vote in person,” said Alexander.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">I already mailed my ballot, but now I’m paranoid about my signature. What if I messed it up?\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Rest assured: There’s a whole system in place to help you correct your mistake.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If your county’s election office detects a signature mismatch on your ballot, they’ll reach out to you via mail to verify and work with you to correct it, so that your ballot can be counted after all. It’s called “curing” a ballot.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This system is also applied when it looks like a member of a voter’s family might have signed their ballot, instead of the voter. This happens a \u003cem>surprising\u003c/em> amount when one household has several voters who all receive a ballot in the mail.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One way to get peace of mind: \u003ca href=\"https://california.ballottrax.net/voter/\">Sign up to track your ballot\u003c/a>, and you’ll find out about any issues with your ballot or your signature quickly.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"mistake\">I made a mistake on my ballot. How do I fix it?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>First, don’t panic. People make mistakes on ballots and find good ways to correct them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Counties give different directions to voters about what to do if they make a mistake (remember: Read the instructions!), but you can usually simply X out the choice you didn’t intend.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260602_PRIMARY2026CD4_GC-20-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12085889\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260602_PRIMARY2026CD4_GC-20-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260602_PRIMARY2026CD4_GC-20-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260602_PRIMARY2026CD4_GC-20-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Voters cast their ballots at UC Davis in Davis on June 2, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>The job of county elections officials — once they’ve verified your signature — is to make sure your ballot can be read correctly. If that means that your corrections on your ballot have resulted in readability issues, officials working in teams of two will actually remake it for you according to the intent you’ve signaled with your corrections.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some counties, like Alameda, ask that you actually contact them first if you make a serious mistake — including voting for the wrong candidate — so they can send you a replacement ballot. So, wherever you live, it’s a good idea to check with your local elections office first to see what \u003cem>they\u003c/em> recommend if you made a mistake.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And remember, there’s always this option …\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What if I just want a new ballot?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you’ve made a big mistake on your ballot — too big to fix — your best plan of action may be to focus on getting a new one. And that’s totally OK. You can:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>Call your county elections office and ask them to cancel that ballot and issue a new one to you.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Go to your county elections office with your spoiled ballot during business hours and vote right there at the counter.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Take advantage of the early voting options available in many counties.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Go to a voting site on Election Day, Nov. 3, turn in your spoiled ballot there and get a new ballot.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>You can also do this if you’ve accidentally damaged your ballot in some way (coffee spills happen).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">I think I put the wrong date on my envelope\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>First off, that date should be the date you signed your envelope — not your date of birth. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But if you’re worried you messed up the date, don’t worry. Elections officials say that the date they’re \u003cem>really\u003c/em> looking for is the date that the ballot is postmarked, to make sure it was submitted on time.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/002_KQED_SanFrancisco_Election2020_MailinBallot_10122020_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12099795\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/002_KQED_SanFrancisco_Election2020_MailinBallot_10122020_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/002_KQED_SanFrancisco_Election2020_MailinBallot_10122020_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/002_KQED_SanFrancisco_Election2020_MailinBallot_10122020_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A San Francisco official mail-in ballot for the Nov. 3, 2020 election. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Election officials will only truly scrutinize the date you’ve written if they receive your ballot \u003cem>after\u003c/em> Election Day.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And if you haven’t mailed your envelope yet, it’s an easy fix: Just clearly cross out the incorrect date on the envelope and write in the correct one above it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What if I use assistive technology to complete forms?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Getting physical assistance with filling out your ballot from someone you trust is always fine, whether you’re voting at home or at a voting site. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>You just need to make sure your signature is your own and matches the one you’re registered to vote with.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251030-BAYAREAVOTERS-32-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12062371\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251030-BAYAREAVOTERS-32-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251030-BAYAREAVOTERS-32-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251030-BAYAREAVOTERS-32-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tessa King drops off a ballot at the City Hall Voting Center in San Francisco on Oct. 30, 2025, ahead of the statewide special election. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Disabled voters can also choose to use the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting-resources/remote-accessible-vote-mail\">Remote Accessible Vote-by-Mail\u003c/a> system to vote privately and independently at home, using their usual assistive device on their home computer to fill out the ballot on their screen and then print and mail it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Every voting location in California is also equipped with an accessible voting unit. Here, voters with blindness or low vision or who have a disability that limits their dexterity, will be able to use the assistive device of their choice that allows them to vote privately and independently.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How can I make sure my mail-in ballot gets there on time? \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Remember, one big reason that ballots get disqualified in elections is that voters mail them too late: either too late on Election Day itself (after U.S. Postal Service mailboxes have already been collected), or after Election Day.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>To be counted in this election, your ballot must be postmarked on Election Day, Nov. 3, at the latest. Your ballot has seven days to reach your county elections office.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>So in this election, it’s as crucial as ever to make sure you have a plan for voting on time. And if you’re not voting in person, that means making sure you get your ballot into a USPS mailbox or into a secure voting drop box, at a polling location or your county elections office, by the time polls close on Nov. 3.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Read more about why \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103028/should-you-use-usps-to-mail-your-midterm-ballot-heres-what-california-election-officials-say\">California election officials are urging voters to make sure their ballot arrives on time\u003c/a> – and why they’re urging caution around using USPS too close to Election Day.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A few other common ballot mistakes to watch out for …\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Make sure you’re filling out and signing the ballot and envelope with \u003cem>your\u003c/em> name on it: \u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s common to see partners or roommates accidentally mix up their ballots. So make sure you’re signing the document that bears your name.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Make sure you use a black or blue pen: \u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It reads better, and it doesn’t slow workers down when they have to check to see what voter intent was. (Don’t use a felt-tip or a Sharpie that bleeds through the paper and marks other pages on your ballot.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/003_KQED_SanFrancisco_Election2020_TanyaYule_10092020_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12084638\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/003_KQED_SanFrancisco_Election2020_TanyaYule_10092020_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/003_KQED_SanFrancisco_Election2020_TanyaYule_10092020_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/003_KQED_SanFrancisco_Election2020_TanyaYule_10092020_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tanya Yule looks over a voting guide at her home in San Francisco on Oct. 9, 2020. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Don’t mail an empty envelope: \u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It does happen. Keeping your envelope and your ballot together in your home might be a helpful way of avoiding this problem. And of course, when you’re ready to mail your ballot, make sure it’s actually inside the envelope before you seal it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Don’t bother with a stamp: \u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Your ballot envelope is postage-paid. You don’t need it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">My ballot is missing or hasn’t arrived. What should I do?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you’re reading this and you’re worried that your ballot hasn’t arrived yet, make sure you’re not worrying \u003cem>too \u003c/em>early, as the deadline for counties to \u003cem>start \u003c/em>sending out ballots is only Oct. 5.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But if it gets to late October and your ballot still hasn’t materialized, don’t panic: You have options. Here’s what to do:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Check that you’re actually registered to vote — and to the right address\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/\">Input your details on the secretary of state’s voter status page\u003c/a> to check your registration status. This will show whether you’re actually registered to vote, and to which address. It should also show whether your ballot was mailed out.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>You can also use \u003ca href=\"https://california.ballottrax.net/voter/\">the Where’s My Ballot? tool\u003c/a> to check whether your ballot has been sent.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095745\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A voter is given a sticker after dropping his ballot at City Hall in San Francisco on Oct. 30, 2025, ahead of the statewide special election. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">If you’re registered to the wrong address, you can update it before Oct. 19 \u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you update your voter registration and address using \u003ca href=\"https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/\">the secretary of state’s voter status page\u003c/a> before the Oct. 19 deadline to register online, your county will cancel the ballot that went to your old address and send you a new one.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And if it turns out your ballot \u003cem>was \u003c/em>missing because your voter registration wasn’t updated, don’t feel bad — people move all the time and forget to update their registrations accordingly.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The California Voter Foundation’s Alexander confirmed to KQED in 2021 that updating your address at the post office doesn’t, in fact, update your voter registration. The DMV, on the other hand, \u003cem>will\u003c/em> update your voter registration details if you update your address with them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">If your voter registration address was correct but your ballot never showed up, you still have options\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If it’s more than six days before Election Day, you can call your county elections office and ask them to send a new ballot. Find your county elections office in our contact list (below). \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Your county elections office won’t mail you a ballot six days or less before Election Day, because it can’t be sure it’ll reach you in time. So if you’re trying to get a ballot in the immediate run-up to Election Day, go to your county elections office in person and request one at the counter.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1353\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/CaliforniaElection2026Getty-e1781204236548.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087079\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An election worker processes mail-in ballots for the California state primary election at the Los Angeles County Ballot Processing Center on June 5, 2026, in City of Industry, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>From Oct. 5, your county elections office will be open for early voting through Nov. 3, so you could also go there in person during opening hours and vote right there at the counter. More early voting locations will be opening throughout October.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And remember, if you’re \u003cem>not\u003c/em> actually registered to vote, you always have the option of \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/same-day-reg\">same-day voter registration\u003c/a>, also known as conditional voter registration, at a voting location, where you can then fill out and submit your ballot, too.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Contact your county directly\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Across the Bay Area, elections officials are encouraging voters to reach out — early — with any questions or concerns. Here’s the contact information for your county:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://acvote.alamedacountyca.gov/index\">\u003cstrong>Alameda\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: For information about voting by mail, registration and polling place lookup, call 510-267-8683\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.contracostavote.gov/elections/\">\u003cstrong>Contra Costa\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 925-335-7800 or email voter.services@vote.cccounty.us\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.marincounty.org/depts/rv\">\u003cstrong>Marin\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 415-473-6456 or go to the Marin County elections webpage to \u003ca href=\"https://www.marincounty.org/depts/rv/contact-us\">send a form email\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.countyofnapa.org/396/Elections\">\u003cstrong>Napa\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 707-253-4321 or email the elections office at elections@countyofnapa.org\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfelections.sfgov.org\">\u003cstrong>San Francisco\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 415-554-4375 or email sfvote@sfgov.org\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.smcacre.org/elections\">\u003cstrong>San Mateo\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 888- 762-8683 or email registrar@smcacre.org\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sccgov.org/sites/rov/Pages/Registrar-of-Voters.aspx\">\u003cstrong>Santa Clara\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call toll-free at 866-430-VOTE (8683) or email registrar@rov.sccgov.org\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.solanocounty.com/depts/rov/default.asp\">\u003cstrong>Solano\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>: \u003c/strong>Call 707-784-6675 or (888) 933-VOTE (8683). You can also email elections@solanocounty.com\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/CRA/Registrar-of-Voters/\">\u003cstrong>Sonoma\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>: Call 707-565-6800 or toll-free at 800-750-8683\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The state also has a full list of \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting-resources/county-elections-offices/\">every county elections office in California\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Why Are Out-of-State Billionaires Funding a California Voter ID Measure?",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003c!-- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ -->\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was originally published by \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/\">CalMatters\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/subscribe-to-calmatters/\">Sign up\u003c/a> for their newsletters.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Want to know who’s who in Republican politics? Look no further than the megadonors bankrolling \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a>’s voter ID initiative.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Illinois billionaire packing supply magnate Richard Uihlein, who has poured tens of millions of dollars into conservative causes, has contributed $17 million to the campaign for \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2026/proposition-39-voter-id/\">Proposition 39\u003c/a>, a GOP-backed ballot measure to require voters to show a driver’s license or other government ID to vote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uihlein’s involvement and that of other deep-pocketed Republican donors is a signal that conservatives view Prop. 39 as a test of support for future battleground states in the broader push by President Donald Trump to tighten voter restrictions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uihlein is joined by Southern California businessman Steven Bray, who loaned the campaign more than $3 million and gave $50,000 outright. The right-wing political group \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/03/california-republican-endorsements/\">Reform California\u003c/a>, tech entrepreneurs Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss and former Robert F. Kennedy Jr. presidential running mate Nicole Shanahan are also major donors. Combined, they have helped the campaign rake in more than $28 million — $11 million more than their opponents a month from Election Day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Prop. 39’s supporters argue that requiring ID at polling places will ensure California’s elections are secure, and say the mandate is no different from needing an ID to fly on a plane or buy alcohol. Proponents also point out that 36 states request or require voters to show some form of identification at the polls, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/voter-id\">National Conference of State Legislatures\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California voters currently need a driver’s license and Social Security number to register to vote but not when they cast their ballots. If Prop. 39 passes, voters who mail their ballots would have to write the last four digits of their Social Security or other government-issued number on their ballots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12095745\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12095745\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A voter is given a sticker after dropping his ballot at City Hall in San Francisco on Oct. 30, 2025, ahead of the statewide special election. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It’s a long-awaited moment for the state’s weak Republican Party which has fought for decades to put a voter ID measure on the ballot in deep blue California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Assemblymember \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/carl-demaio-161014\">Carl DeMaio\u003c/a>, a Republican, created Reform California and is spearheading the initiative. The freshman San Diego lawmaker’s group funded the ballot operation that collected more than a million signatures to qualify the measure after similar proposals failed in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Common Cause and other voting rights groups that oppose the measure fear Prop. 39 would unnecessarily block from voting citizens who can’t find or don’t have a government-issued ID. They argue that this would disproportionately impact, and unfairly penalize, people who recently moved, changed their last name or are low income — and other groups who historically have supported Democrats.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Civil rights advocates also argue the measure is unnecessary because voter fraud is rare.[aside postID=news_12103195 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed-1.jpg']“You are more likely to be struck by lightning than you are to commit voter fraud in a U.S. election,” California League of Women Voters executive director Jenny Farrell said. “There’s no need to add on these additional burdens and security checkpoints in California.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite numerous studies showing there is \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/voter-fraud-election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-7fcb6f134e528fee8237c7601db3328f\">no widespread evidence\u003c/a> of voter fraud in U.S. elections, Claremont McKenna College political scientist John Pitney said such claims have circulated for decades in far-right circles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Attempts to constrict voter laws through ballot measures have increased in some states ever since the expansion of voting rights to African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But fears about voter fraud accelerated during the first Trump administration when the president falsely claimed the 2020 election was stolen. Shortly after, DeMaio and other GOP lawmakers introduced unsuccessful bills to tighten voter restrictions before he pivoted to orchestrating a citizen-led ballot initiative last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Recently Trump has promoted the idea that large numbers of undocumented people are voting, for which there isn’t any evidence,” Pitney said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/030326_Voter-ID-Presser_FG_CM_08-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"A lawmaker, wearing a black suit with a striped yellow tie, stands behind a lectern while surrounded by people holding blue and yellow signs that say "REQUIRE VOTER ID."\" />\u003cfigcaption>Assemblymember Carl DeMaio announces that supporters of the CA Voter ID Initiative will submit more than 1.3 million signatures to qualify the measure for the November 2026 ballot during a press conference at the west steps of the state Capitol in Sacramento on March 3, 2026. Photo by Fred Greaves for CalMatters\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Democrats bankrolling the opposition to Prop. 39 are also a who’s who of California politics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state Democratic Party is by far the largest contributor at nearly $5.5 million, followed by the Sonoma-area Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria with $2 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Longtime Democratic donors Patty Quillin, a film producer and wife of Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, and Quinn Delaney, a real estate investor and philanthropist, have each pitched in $1.5 million. Labor heavyweights such as the Service Employees International Union have contributed $1 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Democratic gubernatorial candidate \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/tag/xavier-becerra/\">Xavier Becerra\u003c/a> and Democratic Assembly Speaker \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/robert-rivas-165041\">Robert Rivas\u003c/a> have created a joint committee to raise money for the No campaign and U.S. Sen Alex Padilla is stumping at events.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly 90% of Californians now vote by mail, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/historical-absentee\">secretary of state’s office\u003c/a>. That means the vast majority of voters would be required to write their Social Security or driver’s license number on their ballot should the initiative pass.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many people aren’t going to be comfortable with that, No on 39 campaign spokesperson Tenoch Flores said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is about creating new avenues to reject valid mail ballots,” Flores said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Yes on 39” spokesperson Meredith Shields told CalMatters that no one from the campaign could be made available for an interview. DeMaio declined an interview with CalMatters for this story. Uihlein did not respond to phone calls and emails requesting comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The biggest donor\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Megadonor Uihlein and his wife, founders of the Wisconsin-based packaging company Uline, have poured millions into the Restoration of America PAC, a super PAC that frequently bankrolls Republican candidates in Illinois and Wisconsin. The Uihleins have \u003ca href=\"https://www.fec.gov/data/individual-contributions/?committee_id=C00571588&contributor_name=uihlein&two_year_transaction_period=2026\">donated $35 million to the PAC\u003c/a> this year alone, and Prop. 39 is the latest target in their effort to fund agenda-setting conservative causes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shanahan, an attorney and the former wife of Google executive Sergey Brin, has funneled $370,000 into the Yes campaign, while the Winklevoss brothers have each contributed $250,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The interest from the ultra-wealthy in Prop. 39 is a sign that the GOP could be looking to replicate a similar playbook in toss-up states, Sonoma State University political science Professor David McCuan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Republican proponents want to see how well or poorly voter ID does in Democratic-heavy California. If it does better than expected, that might mean a similar ballot measure could be fairly popular in more moderate battleground states, such as Michigan,Wisconsin or Pennsylvania.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is a spillover effect if you do better than expected, even if you lose,” McCuan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Election security becomes about Trump\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Several Republican states moved to expand voter restrictions after the 2020 election, including Wyoming, Kentucky and Oklahoma. And while voter sentiment toward Trump is at historic lows, the GOP was surprisingly successful at getting the voter ID measure on the California ballot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The “Yes on 39” TV campaign has \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts64oxA4neQ\" data-type=\"link\" data-=\"\">begun airing ads\u003c/a> distancing the measure’s supporters from Trump, while the No campaign released an \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjk5YyP7FYM\">ad airing in the Bay Area\u003c/a> featuring images of Trump and characterizations of Prop. 39 as a “power grab.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12101931\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12101931\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Prop39-voterID-scaled-e1791403746790.jpg\" alt=\"People in suits present at a podium surrounded by signs that read "Require Voter ID."\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sen. Tony Strickland speaks at the Riverside County Registrar of Voters on Monday, March 2, 2026, for a press conference highlighting voter signatures in favor of placing a voter ID measure on the November ballot. \u003ccite>(Anjali Sharif-Paul/MediaNews Group/The Sun via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It’ll likely still be a tough road ahead for the Yes campaign. The default position for most voters is “no” on ballot propositions, meaning supporters of the measure will have to persuade enough voters to agree with them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An April poll by the \u003ca href=\"https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2d964377\">UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies\u003c/a> showed Californians broadly support requiring voters to present identification at the polls, but it found that support dipped below 50% when respondents were given specific details about the measure, such as that it’s meant to combat alleged voter fraud. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/ppic-statewide-survey-californians-and-their-government-september-2026/\">Public Policy Institute of California\u003c/a> poll in September found support for Prop. 39 has dropped to 43%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While this could be effective at turning out liberal voters, it’s unclear how even a hot-button issue will be enough to get Republicans out in a midterm election cycle with an unpopular president.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s hard to pass a red-coded measure in a blue wave election,” Pitney said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This article was \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/10/california-election-voter-id-proposition-39/\">originally published on CalMatters\u003c/a> and was republished under the \u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives\u003c/a> license.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c!-- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ -->\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was originally published by \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/\">CalMatters\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/subscribe-to-calmatters/\">Sign up\u003c/a> for their newsletters.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Want to know who’s who in Republican politics? Look no further than the megadonors bankrolling \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a>’s voter ID initiative.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Illinois billionaire packing supply magnate Richard Uihlein, who has poured tens of millions of dollars into conservative causes, has contributed $17 million to the campaign for \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2026/proposition-39-voter-id/\">Proposition 39\u003c/a>, a GOP-backed ballot measure to require voters to show a driver’s license or other government ID to vote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uihlein’s involvement and that of other deep-pocketed Republican donors is a signal that conservatives view Prop. 39 as a test of support for future battleground states in the broader push by President Donald Trump to tighten voter restrictions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uihlein is joined by Southern California businessman Steven Bray, who loaned the campaign more than $3 million and gave $50,000 outright. The right-wing political group \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/03/california-republican-endorsements/\">Reform California\u003c/a>, tech entrepreneurs Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss and former Robert F. Kennedy Jr. presidential running mate Nicole Shanahan are also major donors. Combined, they have helped the campaign rake in more than $28 million — $11 million more than their opponents a month from Election Day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Prop. 39’s supporters argue that requiring ID at polling places will ensure California’s elections are secure, and say the mandate is no different from needing an ID to fly on a plane or buy alcohol. Proponents also point out that 36 states request or require voters to show some form of identification at the polls, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/voter-id\">National Conference of State Legislatures\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California voters currently need a driver’s license and Social Security number to register to vote but not when they cast their ballots. If Prop. 39 passes, voters who mail their ballots would have to write the last four digits of their Social Security or other government-issued number on their ballots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12095745\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12095745\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A voter is given a sticker after dropping his ballot at City Hall in San Francisco on Oct. 30, 2025, ahead of the statewide special election. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It’s a long-awaited moment for the state’s weak Republican Party which has fought for decades to put a voter ID measure on the ballot in deep blue California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Assemblymember \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/carl-demaio-161014\">Carl DeMaio\u003c/a>, a Republican, created Reform California and is spearheading the initiative. The freshman San Diego lawmaker’s group funded the ballot operation that collected more than a million signatures to qualify the measure after similar proposals failed in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Common Cause and other voting rights groups that oppose the measure fear Prop. 39 would unnecessarily block from voting citizens who can’t find or don’t have a government-issued ID. They argue that this would disproportionately impact, and unfairly penalize, people who recently moved, changed their last name or are low income — and other groups who historically have supported Democrats.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Civil rights advocates also argue the measure is unnecessary because voter fraud is rare.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“You are more likely to be struck by lightning than you are to commit voter fraud in a U.S. election,” California League of Women Voters executive director Jenny Farrell said. “There’s no need to add on these additional burdens and security checkpoints in California.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite numerous studies showing there is \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/voter-fraud-election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-7fcb6f134e528fee8237c7601db3328f\">no widespread evidence\u003c/a> of voter fraud in U.S. elections, Claremont McKenna College political scientist John Pitney said such claims have circulated for decades in far-right circles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Attempts to constrict voter laws through ballot measures have increased in some states ever since the expansion of voting rights to African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But fears about voter fraud accelerated during the first Trump administration when the president falsely claimed the 2020 election was stolen. Shortly after, DeMaio and other GOP lawmakers introduced unsuccessful bills to tighten voter restrictions before he pivoted to orchestrating a citizen-led ballot initiative last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Recently Trump has promoted the idea that large numbers of undocumented people are voting, for which there isn’t any evidence,” Pitney said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/030326_Voter-ID-Presser_FG_CM_08-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"A lawmaker, wearing a black suit with a striped yellow tie, stands behind a lectern while surrounded by people holding blue and yellow signs that say "REQUIRE VOTER ID."\" />\u003cfigcaption>Assemblymember Carl DeMaio announces that supporters of the CA Voter ID Initiative will submit more than 1.3 million signatures to qualify the measure for the November 2026 ballot during a press conference at the west steps of the state Capitol in Sacramento on March 3, 2026. Photo by Fred Greaves for CalMatters\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Democrats bankrolling the opposition to Prop. 39 are also a who’s who of California politics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state Democratic Party is by far the largest contributor at nearly $5.5 million, followed by the Sonoma-area Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria with $2 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Longtime Democratic donors Patty Quillin, a film producer and wife of Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, and Quinn Delaney, a real estate investor and philanthropist, have each pitched in $1.5 million. Labor heavyweights such as the Service Employees International Union have contributed $1 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Democratic gubernatorial candidate \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/tag/xavier-becerra/\">Xavier Becerra\u003c/a> and Democratic Assembly Speaker \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/robert-rivas-165041\">Robert Rivas\u003c/a> have created a joint committee to raise money for the No campaign and U.S. Sen Alex Padilla is stumping at events.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly 90% of Californians now vote by mail, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/historical-absentee\">secretary of state’s office\u003c/a>. That means the vast majority of voters would be required to write their Social Security or driver’s license number on their ballot should the initiative pass.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many people aren’t going to be comfortable with that, No on 39 campaign spokesperson Tenoch Flores said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is about creating new avenues to reject valid mail ballots,” Flores said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Yes on 39” spokesperson Meredith Shields told CalMatters that no one from the campaign could be made available for an interview. DeMaio declined an interview with CalMatters for this story. Uihlein did not respond to phone calls and emails requesting comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The biggest donor\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Megadonor Uihlein and his wife, founders of the Wisconsin-based packaging company Uline, have poured millions into the Restoration of America PAC, a super PAC that frequently bankrolls Republican candidates in Illinois and Wisconsin. The Uihleins have \u003ca href=\"https://www.fec.gov/data/individual-contributions/?committee_id=C00571588&contributor_name=uihlein&two_year_transaction_period=2026\">donated $35 million to the PAC\u003c/a> this year alone, and Prop. 39 is the latest target in their effort to fund agenda-setting conservative causes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shanahan, an attorney and the former wife of Google executive Sergey Brin, has funneled $370,000 into the Yes campaign, while the Winklevoss brothers have each contributed $250,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The interest from the ultra-wealthy in Prop. 39 is a sign that the GOP could be looking to replicate a similar playbook in toss-up states, Sonoma State University political science Professor David McCuan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Republican proponents want to see how well or poorly voter ID does in Democratic-heavy California. If it does better than expected, that might mean a similar ballot measure could be fairly popular in more moderate battleground states, such as Michigan,Wisconsin or Pennsylvania.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is a spillover effect if you do better than expected, even if you lose,” McCuan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Election security becomes about Trump\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Several Republican states moved to expand voter restrictions after the 2020 election, including Wyoming, Kentucky and Oklahoma. And while voter sentiment toward Trump is at historic lows, the GOP was surprisingly successful at getting the voter ID measure on the California ballot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The “Yes on 39” TV campaign has \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts64oxA4neQ\" data-type=\"link\" data-=\"\">begun airing ads\u003c/a> distancing the measure’s supporters from Trump, while the No campaign released an \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjk5YyP7FYM\">ad airing in the Bay Area\u003c/a> featuring images of Trump and characterizations of Prop. 39 as a “power grab.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12101931\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12101931\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Prop39-voterID-scaled-e1791403746790.jpg\" alt=\"People in suits present at a podium surrounded by signs that read "Require Voter ID."\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sen. Tony Strickland speaks at the Riverside County Registrar of Voters on Monday, March 2, 2026, for a press conference highlighting voter signatures in favor of placing a voter ID measure on the November ballot. \u003ccite>(Anjali Sharif-Paul/MediaNews Group/The Sun via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It’ll likely still be a tough road ahead for the Yes campaign. The default position for most voters is “no” on ballot propositions, meaning supporters of the measure will have to persuade enough voters to agree with them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An April poll by the \u003ca href=\"https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2d964377\">UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies\u003c/a> showed Californians broadly support requiring voters to present identification at the polls, but it found that support dipped below 50% when respondents were given specific details about the measure, such as that it’s meant to combat alleged voter fraud. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/ppic-statewide-survey-californians-and-their-government-september-2026/\">Public Policy Institute of California\u003c/a> poll in September found support for Prop. 39 has dropped to 43%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While this could be effective at turning out liberal voters, it’s unclear how even a hot-button issue will be enough to get Republicans out in a midterm election cycle with an unpopular president.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s hard to pass a red-coded measure in a blue wave election,” Pitney said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This article was \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/10/california-election-voter-id-proposition-39/\">originally published on CalMatters\u003c/a> and was republished under the \u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives\u003c/a> license.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
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"mindshift": {
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"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
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"order": 12
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"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
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"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
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"possible": {
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"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
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},
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"pri-the-world": {
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"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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},
"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
"title": "Radiolab",
"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
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},
"reveal": {
"id": "reveal",
"title": "Reveal",
"info": "Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.",
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