Register! Here is your elections checklist:

US citizens residing in California who are 18 years or older (on election day) and not serving time for a felony or found mentally incompetent to vote by a court, can register to vote with the California Secretary of State.

Citizens aged 16 and 17 can pre-register with the California Secretary of State or when they apply for a California Driver's License or ID card.

If you recently became a US citizen, moved, changed your name, or changed your political affiliation, it’s time to (re-)register! - either online, or print a Voter Action Change Form and mail it to the Registrar. 

Last day to register is October 19, 2026. 

The voting registration deadline is 15 days prior to an election, but eligible voters can complete a Conditional Voter Registration form (CVR) at the Registrar of Voters office or at a Vote Center and cast a CVR provisional ballot at any time on or before election day.

Check that you are registered to vote, at My Voter Status - California Secretary of State

For more information check out our Register to Vote page. 

What’s on my ballot?

Understand the candidates and the ballot measures (also called propositions).

Popular non-partisan voter information guides are available from your County Registrar of Voters, Cal Matters, and Ballotpedia, among others. The non-partisan League of Women Voters publishes Pros/Cons for state, county & local ballot measures, available on our website by late September. 

Consider getting together with neighbors or friends to share research on different measures. Hear pros/cons, then go home to decide how you will make an informed vote.

Visit Vote 411 to learn about candidates and other ballot measures.

What’s on my ballot? webpage to access LWVPA’s Candidate Forums and Pro/Con initiative discussions.

The Santa Clara County Voter Information Guide, which comes to you in the mail, also provides basic information about what's on your ballot, and you can go green by signing up to receive it via email.  

The nonprofit Ballotpedia and CalMatters - California Politics, Policy, and Political News are helpful resources. 

The League of Women voters is nonpartisan and never endorses candidates or political parties.

1)  Fill in, sign, return, and track your ballot. 

Thanks to the Voter’s Choice Act, all registered California voters get a ballot mailed to them 29 days before an election.

Link here to learn how to fill out your secure ballot and don’t forget to sign the back of the first class postage-paid envelope. (No stamps required!)

Track your ballot by signing up for Where's My Ballot?

2)  Find the voting option that works for you. All registered voters in California will receive a ballot mailed to their address.  Voters have several options on how to send that ballot to the Registrar of Voters, or to vote in person at a polling location.

Details of locations and times for these options can be found at the Santa Clara Registrar of Voters website: November 3, 2026, General Election | RoV | County of Santa Clara

• Voting by mail is available October 6 – November 3, but drop your ballot in the mail by October 30th!
  
  To ensure your mail-in ballot gets counted, the Secretary of State suggests you mail it at least 5 days before election day.  Why? The US Postal Service moved to a regional processing center model, so there’s no guarantee when your ballot will be postmarked – and only ballots postmarked by Nov 3 will be counted. 

If mailing on Election Day, get a hand-stamped postmark from a postal employee inside a US Post Office. Get details at Vote By Mail: California Secretary of State.

• Voting by dropping ballots in secure drop boxes is available October 6-November 3. These are collected until 8pm on November 3.

• Voting in-person is available starting October 24, until 8pm on November 3. Voting locations offer voter registration, replacement ballots, accessible voting machines, and language assistance.  Voting locations also have a secure drop box for completed mailed ballots.

3)  Run into a problem trying to vote? Experts at your nearest Vote Center can help you. Find them at Find Vote Center or Find Your Polling Place: California Secretary of State.


View The Path of the Ballot to find out more about Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters’ secure Vote-By-Mail system.

Questions?

Go to County of Santa Clara Registrar of Voters to:

• Check if you're Already Registered
  
• Change your Registration Information
• Learn about Registering to Vote
• Find out How to Vote in Person
• Find out How to Vote by Mail
• Learn how you can Get Involved
• Get Election Information
• Go Green by signing up for e-delivery of your voter information guide
• Learn how the Voters Choice Act is modernizing our voting process

District Maps Change

Every 10 years the boundary lines of every election district in the United States, at every level, is re-examined based on population changes that show in the National Census.  

To find out which districts you are voting in this election, go to the Santa Clara County ROV to Look Up Your District .

As of 2022, your election boundaries may have changed based on the 2020 National Census. For example, Palo Alto is now in the 16th Congressional District (previously 18th) and in the 23rd Assembly District (previously 24th). Midpeninsula Regional district ward boundaries changed and Foothill-De Anza Community College districts were drawn.

Check out the following sources: CalMatters, a non-partisan site where you can type in your address and see maps of how your district maps may or may not have changed:

• WeDrawTheLinesCa, the site of the 2020 California Citizens Redistricting Commission, where you can see details of the final approved maps for the Board of Equalizations, U.S. Congress, State Senate, and State Assembly 
• Midpeninsula Regional Open Space Ward Redistricting Map
• Starting with the November 2022 election, the Foothill-De Anza Community College District will elect its governing board members from five trustee areas rather than at-large District Map. Palo Alto is in District 5 and will vote in November 2024.