The General Election is Nov. 5, and if you’re like most voters, you’ll probably sit down this weekend and crack open your Contra Costa County Voter Information Guide, which you should have already received in the mail.
Richmondside has published more than 25 stories to help inform voters about local races. You can find all of our articles on our 2024 Elections page, or see below for a recap.
Answers to a few pressing voting questions
Q. What if I didn’t receive (or lost) my Voter Information Guide/Sample Ballot?
A. You can visit the elections office in Martinez, 555 Escobar St., to get a printed version or you can find it online. Click “My Voting Information” on the county elections page and enter in your address. You’ll be able to see your polling place location and an option to “View What’s on my Ballot.”
Q. Am I registered to vote?
To check your voter registration status, visit the California Secretary of State’s Check Status of Your Voter Registration web page.
Q. Where can I drop off my ballot?
A. You can put your ballot into a 24-hour secure drop-off box. All the county locations can be found here, and the five Richmond and San Pablo drop boxes are listed below. You can also drop off your ballot on Nov. 5 at any polling place during operating hours, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. or you can take your ballot to the Martinez Clerk-Recorder Elections Department, 555 Escobar St., Martinez, anytime through Election Day.
Q. Where is my polling place?
A. Visit the county’s elections website to find your assigned polling place. If you vote in person, you’ll provide your full legal name to the workers at the check-in station. Then you’ll sign the electronic poll book. Even if you choose to not vote in your neighborhood, you’ll get a ballot based on your home address.
Q. How do I know my ballot was received by the elections office?
A. You can track your ballot using the My Voter Status website, or by signing-up for Where’s My Ballot, a tool powered by BallotTrax. For more information on these tracking tools, visit the Vote By Mail California Elections website.
Q. Which Richmond City Council voting district am I in?
A. Enter your address in the city’s district map to see which voting district you live in.
Q. Which WCCUSD school board voting area do I live in?
A. The blue area on the map below shows the West Contra Costa Unified School District Area 2, which is the only area with a contested race. Visit the interactive map to enter your address to see which area you live in.
Q. Are there services to help people with disabilities?
A. The county elections office says available voting accommodations include: hand-held magnifying sheets to make type appear larger, wheelchair-accessible voting booths, ballot marking devices and curbside voting. Call 925-335-7800 for more information.
Q. I received a notice about a missing or mismatched signature on my vote-by-mail envelope. What do I do?
A. Text COCOVote1 for signature mismatch or COCOVote2 for a missing signature to 28683. Then sign the electronic affidavit and submit.
A guide to Richmondside’s election stories
General voting information
For general information, see our How to register to vote (Leer en español) article. If you missed the Oct. 21 registration deadline, you can still apply for Conditional Voter Registration, a safety net for Californians who miss the deadline to register to vote or who need to update their voter registration information for an election. Eligible voters who need to register or re-register to vote within 14 days of an election can complete the form at the county elections office, a polling place, or a voting center. For more information, visit the California Elections website. This article also includes other useful information about how to cast your ballot.
Early in-person voting begins Friday. Here are the details:
Richmond City Council
Voters in districts 1, 5 and 6 will elect a city council member on Nov. 5. Our coverage of these races includes:
- An overview of who is running in each district;
- Articles where residents of each district share their top election-year issues: District 1, District 5 and District 6;
- Profiles of all the candidates; and
- Stories about candidate forums held in each district co-hosted by Richmondside and about forums held by other organizations.
WCCUSD school board
Residents of the West Contra Costa Unified School District’s Area 2, which includes the Richmond shoreline north of the bridge and Richmond neighborhoods such as Atchison Village, Coronado and North and East, will choose between two candidates this election: newcomer Guadalupe Enllana and incumbent Otheree Christian. Read about the candidates here.
(There are two other seats up for election, but those candidates are running unopposed so will automatically assume office in January 2025.)
Contra Costa County Office of Education board
Read our stories about the Contra Costa County Office of Education race.
Anthony Caro and Daniel Heiss of Richmond are running to represent Area 1, which includes El Cerrito, El Sobrante, San Pablo, Pinole, Richmond, and parts of Kensington.
More election stories
- Primary elections or ranked-choice? Richmond voters will decide on Nov. 5
- Which Richmond City Council races are raising the most money, and who’s giving?
- Watch the District 1 Candidate forum video on YouTube
- Watch the District 5 Candidate forum video on YouTube
- Watch the District 6 Candidate forum video on YouTube
- Meet state Senate D7 candidates Jesse Arreguín and Jovanka Beckles
