With early voting in California’s Nov. 4 election just weeks away, Ventura County officials are working to secure vote center locations and hire workers.
In August, state legislators and Gov. Gavin Newsom signed off on a bill that called for the statewide special election, asking voters to approve temporary congressional maps targeting several Republican-held districts. The move counters a Republican-led redistricting in Texas – one backed by President Trump – designed to flip Democratic seats to Republican, officials said.
That left election officials with just weeks to prepare, as legal challenges continued to play out. Locally, early voting is set to start Oct. 6.
Michelle Ascencion, Ventura County’s election chief, called the timeline “very compressed,” saying it typically takes several months to put logistics in place for a primary or general election.
The special election, however, requires fewer vote centers and workers. Plans call for recruiting around 150 workers and opening 18 vote centers countywide by Election Day, officials said. That’s down from the 50-plus vote centers in last year’s presidential election.
On the ballot, voters will be asked to decide whether to authorize temporary changes to the state’s congressional district maps through Proposition 50. The proposal would set aside maps from California’s independent, nonpartisan commission until after the 2030 census.
Locally, two districts that cover most of the county are considered fairly safe for Democrats, and both would remain largely unchanged. But Simi Valley could get a new House representative next year.
How to vote in the November election?
All registered voters will receive a mail-in ballot for the special election. Those ballots will be sent out starting Oct. 6. That’s the same day early in-person voting begins in the elections office at the Ventura County Government Center, 800 S. Victoria Ave. in Ventura.
On Oct. 25, eight additional locations will open for voting throughout the county. Nine other vote centers will open on Nov. 1, officials said.
The county switched to a model under the state’s Voters Choice Act in 2022 that extended in-person voting days but reduced the number of voting locations. Instead of hundreds of polling places, a smaller number of vote centers are open for additional days.
Voters also can cast ballots at any center in the county, not just those closest to them. They also can return ballots by mail, at an official drop-off box or the county elections office. Ballots need to be signed and dropped off by 8 p.m. on Election Day or postmarked by Nov. 4 if returned by mail.
How to register to vote?
Those eligible can register to vote or check their registration online at registertovote.ca.gov.
In person, they can pick up a paper registration application at the Ventura elections office. They also may request an application be mailed to them, officials said.
The voter registration application must be postmarked or hand-delivered to the county elections office by Oct. 20 to get a ballot in the mail. To request an application be sent by mail, call the elections office at 805-654-2664.
When is the last day to register to vote?
Even if a person misses that deadline, those eligible can register in person up to and including on Election Day in California. It is called conditional voter registration or same-day registration.
Eligible voters fill out a ballot and a registration form at the same time. The ballot then returns to the elections office separately, so staff can review the information to verify the person is eligible to vote.
Voters can sign up to track their ballot at california.ballottrax.net/voter to find out when it is mailed, received and counted.
Reuters and staff writer Tony Biasotti contributed to this report.
Cheri Carlson covers the environment and county government for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0260.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: What to know about the California special election, voter registration deadline
Reporting by Cheri Carlson, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
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