Bay Area voter guide: What to know about the November 2026 election

California’s general election is Nov. 3, with statewide races and propositions as well as key local races and measures across the Bay Area. Here’s what you need to know to cast your ballot, including important dates and deadlines, how to register or check your status, where and when to vote, and what’s on the ballot.

Key election dates

The last day to register to vote for the Nov. 3 general election is Oct. 19.

County election officials will start mailing ballots by Oct. 5.

Ballot drop-off locations open on Oct. 6

Last day to register to vote for the general election is Oct. 19.

First vote centers open for early in-person voting in all Voter’s Choice Act counties on Oct. 24.

In person early voting locations in the state open on Oct. 31.

Election Day, Nov. 3, is the last day to vote in-person or return a ballot by 8 p.m.

• Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked no later than Nov. 3.
• If mailing on election day, get a hand-stamped postmark from a postal employee inside a post office.

Visit the California Secretary of State’s website for a full list of key dates and deadlines.

Check voter registration status

Voters can check their registration at voterstatus.sos.ca.gov to confirm their mailing address and voting status.

How to register to vote

California residents can register to vote in elections at registertovote.ca.gov. Note Oct. 19 is the last day to register for the general election.

Same day voter registration window will be open from Oct. 20 up to the Nov. 3 election day. Visit caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov for a list of early voting locations to complete same day registration.

How to find your polling place

Visit the California Secretary of State’s website, where you can input your address to find your polling location and see what is on your ballot.

Voters can also visit their county elections office for more information. Scroll down to the Bay Area county election offices section of this guide for further contact information.

What to bring to your polling place

Voters usually are not required to show identification to a polling place worker before casting a ballot, according to the Secretary of State’s website.

There are some instances when providing identification is required:

• Voting for the first time after registering to vote by mail and did not provide a driver license number
• California identification number or the last four digits of social security number are missing on registration form

In these cases voters should plan to bring identification to a polling place or bring a copy of it with their vote-by-mail ballot.

The Secretary of State says the following are acceptable forms of identification:

• Passport
• Driver license
• Official state identification card
• Student identification card
• Copy of recent utility bill
• Sample ballot booklet received from county elections office
• Any document received by a government agency

How to track your mail-in ballot

Voters can track their vote-by-mail ballot and confirm it has been received by using the state’s Where’s My Ballot? tool at california.ballottrax.net/voter/. Ballots mailed in may take a few days to appear on the website.

Why is California choosing a new governor?

Gov. Gavin Newsom terms out after this year and voters will choose between Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton, who both advanced to the general election after a wild primary.

Becerra has served as former President Joe Biden’s top health official and oversaw the response to the coronavirus pandemic. He was also the California’s attorney general during President Donald Trump’s first term and has more than two decades of experience as a congressmember.

Hilton was a conservative commentator with a show on Fox News for six years. He also worked as an adviser to former British prime minister David Cameron.

What are the 14 California propositions voters will decide in the November election?

Here’s a list of the California propositions on the November ballot and descriptions from the secretary of state:

Proposition 1: Authorizes bonds for housing affordability programs

Proposition 2: Increases state’s rainy day fund

Proposition 3: Provides permanent funding for schools and healthcare by extending existing tax on high incomes

Proposition 4: Repeals prohibition against public funding of election campaigns.

Proposition 5: Changes recall election process for statewide officers.

Proposition 37: Creates loan program for middle-income buyers of qualified new homes.

Proposition 38: Authorizes bonds for immunology medical research.

Proposition 39: Prohibits citizens from voting unless they present government-issued identification.

Proposition 40: Imposes one-time tax on certain taxpayers.

Proposition 41: Prohibits new state taxes that exclude revenues from state spending limit. Requires audits for new state special taxes.

Proposition 42: Prohibits new state personal property taxes and certain retroactive state taxes.

Proposition 43: Limits voters’ ability to raise revenues for local government services.

Proposition 44: Requires community health clinics spend 90% of revenue on program services.

Proposition 45: Modifies environmental review for certain projects.

Regional measure to watch

Measure RTM: The Connect Bay Area Transit Initiative, is a regional sales tax aimed at increasing funds for public transit. It includes 5 Bay Area counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara.

Races and measures to watch in Alameda County

California Congressional District 14: California lawmaker Aisha Wahab and Bay Area Rapid Transit Director Melissa Hernandez will face off again to determine who will serve the next full two-year term.

Wahab topped Hernandez in an August special election to serve the remainder of former California U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell’s term. Swalwell resigned from Congress earlier this year after sexual assault and misconduct allegations.

District 14 includes the East Bay cities such as Fremont, Hayward and Livermore.

Measure X in Berkeley: Would establish 10% limit on annual rent increases and other changes to the city’s rent ordinance.

Measure Y in Berkeley: Parcel tax to pay for arts projects.

Measure Z in Berkeley: Parcel tax to fund a public bank.

Measure AA in Berkeley: Increase soda tax (not assigned)

Measure EE in Oakland: Shift city to a strong mayor system.

Measure FF in Oakland: Eliminate foreclosure exemption from property transfer tax.

🗳️ For a complete list of races and measures on the ballot in Alameda County and additional election information, visit the Alameda County Elections website.

Races and measures to watch in Contra Costa County

In Contra Costa County, several county board of education seats are open. In Richmond, residents will vote on a new mayor while voters in San Pablo will weigh in on Measure S, which would limit rent increases.

🗳️ For a complete list of races and measures on the ballot in Contra Costa County and additional election information, visit the Contra Costa County Elections website.

Races and measures to watch in Napa County

California Congressional District 4: Mike Thompson faces Eric Jones.

Measure B in Napa County: Sales tax to fund wildfire prevention and open space preservation.

🗳️ For a complete list of races and measures on the ballot in Napa County and additional election information, visit the Napa County Elections website.

Races and measures to watch in San Francisco

San Francisco voters will weigh in on several open seats on the county board of supervisors and board of education.

Proposition A: Give mayor more power to hire and fire department heads.

Proposition B: Pave way for public bank.

Proposition C: Increase the city’s annual contribution to an affordable housing trust fund.

Proposition D: New barriers to placing measures on the ballot.

Proposition E: Changes to city contracting.

Proposition G: Reopen parts of the Great Highway to vehicle traffic on weekdays.

Proposition H: Parcel tax to fund Muni.

Proposition J: Eliminate foreclosure exemption from property transfer tax

California Congressional District 11: Scott Wiener and Connie Chan compete to succeed Nancy Pelosi.

🗳️ For a complete list of races and measures on the ballot in San Francisco and additional election information, visit the San Francisco Department of Elections website.

Races and measures to watch in San Mateo County

Measure E in Redwood City: Limit rent increases.

Measure Q in Half Moon Bay: Referendum to block proposed farmworker housing.

Measure U in San Mateo County: Create independent commission to draw supervisor districts.

For a complete list of San Mateo County measures and races on the ballot, visit smacre.gov/elections.

🗳️ For a complete list of races and measures on the ballot in San Mateo County and additional election information, visit the San Mateo County Elections website.

Races and measures to watch in Santa Clara County

In San Jose, incumbents Peter Ortiz and Bien Doan are up for re-election in Districts 5 and 7, respectively, and there’s an open seat in District 9.

Races and measures to watch in Solano County

Solano County Board of Supervisors, District 4: Mike Silva and John Carli face in a runoff in a district covering Vacaville and Dixon.

Measure E in Solano County: New tax on data centers and battery storage facilities in the unincorporated county areas.

🗳️ For a complete list of races and measures on the ballot in Solano County and additional election information, visit the Solano County Registrar of Voters website.

Races and measures to watch in Sonoma County

California Congressional District 1: Mike McGuire will face James Gallagher in a seat redistricted by Proposition 50.

California Congressional District 4: Mike Thompson faces Eric Jones.

State Assembly District 12: Eric Lucan and Jackie Elward compete in a battle between business and labor.

🗳️ For a complete list of races and measures on the ballot in Sonoma County and additional election information, visit the Sonoma County Registrar of Voters website.

Bay Area county election offices

Here’s a list of local elections offices and their contact information.

Alameda
Cynthia Cornejo, Interim Registrar of Voters
1225 Fallon Street, Room G-1
Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 272-6933
(510) 272-6982 Fax
Hours: 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
acvote.alamedacountyca.gov

Contra Costa
Kristin Braun Connelly, County Clerk, Recorder and Registrar of Voters
555 Escobar Street
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 271
Martinez, CA 94553
(925) 335-7800
(925) 335-7838 Fax
Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
www.contracostavote.gov/
E-Mail:voter.services@vote.cccounty.us

Marin
Natalie Adona, Registrar of Voters
3501 Civic Center Drive, Room 121
San Rafael, CA 94903
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box E
San Rafael, CA 94913-3904
(415) 473-6456
(415) 473-6447 Fax
Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
www.marincounty.gov/departments/elections
E-Mail: elections@marincounty.gov

Napa
John Tuteur, Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk
Napa County Registrar of Voters
1125 Third St., First Floor
Napa, CA 94559
(707) 253-4321
(707) 253-4390 Fax
Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
www.napacounty.gov/396/Elections
E-Mail: elections@countyofnapa.org

San Francisco
John Arntz, Director of Elections
1 Dr. Carlton B Goodlett Place
City Hall, Room 48
San Francisco, CA 94102-4635
(415) 558-6100
(415) 558-6109 Fax
Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
sf.gov/departments/department-elections
E-Mail: sfvote@sfgov.org

San Mateo
Mark Church, Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
Registration-Elections Division
40 Tower Road
San Mateo, CA 94402
(650) 312-5222
(650) 312-5348 Fax
Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
smcacre.gov/elections
E-Mail: registrar@smcacre.gov

Santa Clara
Matt Moreles, ROV
1555 Berger Drive, Bldg. 2
San Jose, CA 95112
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 611360
San Jose, CA 95161-1360
(408) 299-8683
(866) 430-8683
(408) 998-7314 Fax
Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
vote.santaclaracounty.gov/home
E-Mail: registrar@rov.sccgov.org

Solano
Timothy Flanagan, Registrar of Voters
675 Texas Street, Suite 2600
Fairfield, CA 94533
(707) 784-6675
(888) 933-8683
(707) 784-6678 Fax
Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
www.solanocounty.gov/government/registrar-voters
E-Mail: elections@solanocounty.gov

Sonoma
Evelyn Mendez, Registrar of Voters
3880 Brickway Blvd
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 11485
Santa Rosa, CA 95406-1485
(707) 565-6800
(800) 750-8683
(707) 565-6843 Fax
Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
sonomacounty.ca.gov/administrative-support-and-fiscal-services/clerk-recorder-assessor-registrar-of-voters/registrar-of-voters
E-Mail: rov-info@sonomacounty.gov