Voter Registration FAQ
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Voter registration
The following is important information to make sure your voter registration is current:
Voter registration cards are available at the following locations:
- Local Post Office
- Department of Motor Vehicles
- Local Library
- Local City Clerk Offices
- Contra Costa County Elections Office
Fill out Voter Registration Cards CLEARLY in dark ink and always make sure you SIGN your name in order for your registration to be valid.
If you live in an apartment, always make sure you fill in the apartment number of your residence address.
Once your affidavit of registration is submitted to the Contra Costa County Election Department for processing, you should receive WRITTEN NOTIFICATION within 3-4 weeks. If you do not receive notification, please contact Contra Costa County Elections at 925-335-7800.
REMEMBER, ALWAYS RE-REGISTER IF YOU HAVE ANY CHANGE TO YOUR NAME, RESIDENCE ADDRESS OR MAILING ADDRESS!!
The last day to register for any election is 15 days prior to Election Day (Election
Code 2102 & 2107).
Did you vote in the last election?
In an effort to keep our voter rolls current, we follow federal and state laws to
remove residents from the rolls. The following is how we determine voter eligibility:
In the past 4 years, if you have NOT:
- Voted in any election;
- Responded to postcards or letters sent by the Department; or
- Have not had any contact with the Department;
Then you may have been placed on the inactive voter roll.
This means that:
- You will not receive a Voter Information pamphlet for future elections, and
- Your name may not be on the Roster of Voters at your polling place, and
- You may be required to show proof of residence before a ballot will be issued to you.
In the past 8 years, if you have NOT:
- Voted in any election;
- Responded to postcards or letters sent by the Department; or
- Have not had any other contact with the Department;
Your voter registration will be canceled and you will need to reregister in order to vote.
Don't let this happen to you. Either vote, respond to one of our mailings, or write and let us know that you want to stay on the voter roll. If you write to us, please include your current residence address, mailing address, your date of birth and your place of birth.
Permissible use of personal information
Information on your voter registration affidavit will be used by elections officials to send you official information on the voting process, such as the location of your polling place and the issues and candidates that will appear on the ballot. Commercial use of voter registration information is prohibited by law and is a misdemeanor. Voter information may be provided to a candidate for office, a ballot measure committee, or other person for election, scholarly, journalistic, political, or governmental purposes, as determined by the Secretary of State. Driver’s license and social security numbers, or your signature as shown on your voter registration card, cannot be released for these purposes. If you have any questions about the use of voter information or wish to report suspected misuse of such information, please call the Secretary of State’s Voter Hotline at 1-800-345-VOTE (8683).
Certain voters facing life-threatening situations may qualify for confidential voter status. For more information, please contact the Secretary of State’s Safe at Home program toll-free at 1-877-322-5227 or visit the Secretary of State’s website at www.sos.ca.gov.
Disabled voter access
ASSISTANCE - Voters unable to complete their ballot may bring one or two persons with them into the voting booth to assist them, or they may ask poll workers to provide assistance.
CURBSIDE VOTING - If architectural barriers prevent an elderly or disabled voter from entering the polling place, poll workers will bring the necessary voting materials to the voter in front of the polling place.
READING TOOLS - Every polling place has special sheets to magnify the type on the sample ballot pamphlet and ballot.
SEATED VOTING - Every polling place has at least one voting booth which allows voters to vote while sitting in a chair or a wheelchair.
Applying for Vote by Mail Ballot
Any registered voter may vote by "Vote By Mail Ballot". To apply for an Vote By Mail Ballot you may use one of the following methods:
- Apply in writing to: Contra Costa County Election Department, P.O. Box 271, Martinez, CA. 94553. You MUST include the name and date of the election you are applying for (e.g. June 2, 1998 primary Election), your printed name and signature, your residence address, the address you would like the ballot mailed to and a telephone number where you can be reached during normal business hours.
- Obtain aVote By Mail Ballot application by using the application you receive in the Sample Ballot which is sent to each registered voter approximately 20 days prior to the election.
- Apply in person at the Contra Costa County Election Department at 555 Escobar Street, Martinez, Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
The first day a Vote By Mail Ballot can be issued or mailed to a voter is 29 days before an election.
The last day our office may accept applications by mail is 7 days before an election.
A voter may receive a ballot in our office, in person, up to and including Election Day.
If you know you are going to Vote By Mail, it is in your best interest to apply as early as possible. We accept applications at any time, however, by law 29 days prior to an election is the earliest a ballot can be issued.
Once you have submitted your application for a Vote By Mail Ballot, if you do not receive it within 7 days, please contact the Contra Costa County Elections Department at (925) 335-7800.
Voting your Vote by Mail Ballot
Never make any identifying marks on your ballot.
Your ballot is no longer considered secret if there are any identifiable marks
such as your initials, name or signature on the ballot card. The ballot would be considered voided and
cannot be counted. This does not include "write-in candidates".
Returning your Vote by Mail Ballot
Voted ballot return deadline
A voter MUST return a ballot by mail or in person to the Contra Costa County Election Department or any polling place in Contra Costa County by 8:00 p.m. Election Day. Any ballot that arrives after 8:00 p.m. on Election Day will not be counted. A postmark on your Vote By Mail Ballot return envelope before or on Election Day is not acceptable if the ballot arrives in our office after 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.
It is important that the voter read and completely fill out the return envelope of a Vote By Mail Ballot. In order for your ballot to count you MUST sign the envelope your ballot is returned in and indicate your residence address (not mailing address).
Having someone else return your voted ballot
If you are ill or disabled and are unable to return your ballot by mail or in person, you may designate a person residing in your household, or your spouse, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, brother or sister to return your Vote By Mail Ballot. You and the person you designate to return your ballot must complete and sign the appropriate sections on the Vote By Mail Ballot return envelope.
Permanent Vote by Mail voter qualifications
Section 3201 of the California Election Code was amended so that any voter, starting in January 2002, may apply for permanent Vote By Mail Voter status.
As a permanent Vote By Mail Voter, a Vote By Mail Ballot will automatically be sent to you for all future elections. This includes all local elections as well as statewide elections.
Once a voter is a permanent Vote By Mail voter he/she will retain that status as long as they vote in all statewide elections. Failure to vote in two consecutive statewide elections will cancel your permanent Vote By Mail Voter status, but not your voter registration. If your permanent Vote By Mail Voter status is canceled, you may re-apply.
If you are a permanent Vote By Mail Voter and have not received your ballot by 2 weeks
before the Election, you should contact the Contra Costa County Election Department
immediately at (925) 335-7800.
Counting of Vote by Mail Ballots
In general, Vote By Mail Ballots are counted in the same manner as regular ballots cast at a polling place. Once it is determined that the signature on the Vote By Mail Ballot return envelope matches that of the voter on his or her affidavit of registration form, the ballot and the envelopes are separated. The ballot is then intermingled anonymously with other ballots in order to preserve the voter's right to secrecy.
The first ballot counts you are likely to hear on election night usually reflect the votes cast by Vote By Mail Ballot. These, however, are not a complete total and reflect only those Vote By Mail Ballots returned prior to election day. Those ballots received prior to election day can be "processed" (opened and prepared for counting) as early as 11 days prior to the election. These ballots are ready to be counted as soon as the polls close on election day and this accounts for why Vote By Mail Ballots are the first reported in the election night returns.
A substantial number of Vote By Mail Ballots are returned at the polls on Election Day; these ballots require extra handling to ensure that the voter did not also vote at the polls. These ballots are usually the last to be counted and are not likely to be reported in the vote totals until several days after the election.
Emergency voting
If you become ill or disabled within six days of an election and are unable to go to your polling place, you may request in a written statement, signed under penalty of perjury, that a ballot be delivered to your authorized representative. He/she will receive your ballot after presenting the signed statement at the Department of Elections. Most hospitals and nursing homes provide assistance for their patients. If your authorized representative returns the ballot, the appropriate sections of the Vote By Mail Ballot return envelope must be completed. These ballots may not be mailed.