Everything You Need to Know to Vote

It's finally here. After months of cultural clashes, Facebook fights and debate diatribes, it's time to cast your ballot. But with so many options on how to vote, and changes in voting rules, casting a ballot can seem difficult. Here’s everything you need to know on Tuesday (or before).

Find Your Polling Place

If You Still Have Your Vote-by-Mail Ballot
If you saved that vote-by-mail ballot until Election Day, you're not alone. The majority of Californians who vote by mail wait until the last moment to cast their ballot. For instance, in 2014, Alameda County received only 5 percent of vote-by-mail ballots before Election Day. So many people waited that we changed state law. Now, election officials will count vote-by-mail ballots as long as they are postmarked by Election Day.

Bottom line: 1) You can still mail it in! Just mail it out on Tuesday after checking the postage; 2) You can take the ballot to your polling place, surrender it, and ask for a new ballot; or, 3) Some counties allow voters to drop off their completed ballots at any polling place in the county.

If You Never Received Your Vote-by-Mail Ballot
If your vote-by-mail ballot never arrived, or you lost it, you can still vote provisionally. Just go to your polling place and ask for a provisional ballot.

If You're Out of Town on Election Day and Didn't Sign-up for Vote by Mail
All nine Bay Area counties offer early voting. Find your early voting location.

Can You Take a Picture of Your Ballot?
It is illegal to take a picture of your ballot until Jan. 1, 2017.

How Ranked Choice Voting Works
Four Bay Area cities -- Oakland, San Leandro, Berkeley (all since 2010) and San Francisco (citywide since 2011) -- use ranked choice or instant-runoff voting for citywide elections. On their ballot, these voters rank their top three choices for the office, regardless of party. If one candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, they win. If no one receives a majority the first time around, the candidate with the fewest first-place votes is dropped. If you voted for that candidate, your vote now goes to your second choice and the ballots are tallied again. This process continues until someone receives a majority, with the lowest vote-getter being eliminated each round.

Read an in-depth explanation of ranked choice voting here.

Track Your Vote-by-Mail or Provisional Ballot
Voting by mail is easy and convenient, but sometimes it can feel like casting your ballot into a black hole. You can track your vote-by-mail or provisional ballot on the phone or online.

Here are the links and phone numbers at which you can check your ballot's status throughout the Bay Area:

Alameda