The nov. 8, 2016, election is really the culmination of voting, because early voting by mail and in-person at City Hall is an increasingly popular way to cast a ballot. We have compiled some information to help you this voting season.
TO REGISTER
The deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 8 election is Oct. 24. To register, visit registertovote.ca.gov. To register online, you will need a California driver’s license or ID, or your Social Security number.
WHERE TO VOTE
If you don’t already know where to vote, you can look up your nearest polling place in an online directory. The Department of Elections has a polling place lookup service at sfelections.org/tools/pollsite.
You can also vote at City Hall (see times below), or you can vote the way a majority of voters now cast their ballots: by mail. According to the San Francisco Department of Elections, any voter can request a mail-in ballot; however, requests must be received by the elections department no later than Nov. 1.
WHEN TO VOTE
Early voting — whether by mail or at City Hall — begins 29 days before the election.
Beginning Oct. 11 and running through Nov. 7, you can vote in-person at City Hall, outside Room 48, Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (closed Oct. 10 for the holiday); Saturday–Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; and 7 a.m.–8 p.m. on election day, Tuesday, Nov. 8 (enter City Hall on Grove Street).
WHAT’S ON THE BALLOT
- President and vice president of the United States
- United States senator
- United States representative in
- Congress, Districts 12 and 14
- State senator, District 11
- Member of the State Assembly, Districts 17 and 19
- Judges of the Superior Court, Office No. 7
- Member, Board of Education
- Member, Community College Board
- BART Director, Districts 7 and 9
- Board of Supervisors, Districts 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11
- State and local ballot measures
HOW IT WORKS
If you want to learn how the election process works in the city, the Department of Elections and SFGTV have a series of short, five-minute videos to illustrate different aspects of the process, including poll workers, ballot preparation, what happens to your ballot, and more. Find it at sfgov.org/elections/election-connection.
Sources: City and County of San Francisco Department of Elections; California Secretary of State
