The June 2 primary election is less than a week away so we put together a quick cheat sheet to help you prepare for this historic election, which marks the first time Richmond voters could potentially elect their local representatives in a primary.
If a Richmond candidate wins more than 50% of the vote, they’ll win the race. If not, there would be a run-off in November. (Curious about why this was implemented? Learn about Richmond’s new primary election system here.)
1. Where do I drop off my mail-in ballot?
If you want to avoid any snafus mailing a ballot this close to the election (postmark rules have changed recently) you can drop it off at one of these four secure ballot boxes in Richmond:
- Contra Costa County EHSD, 1305 Macdonald Ave.
- North Richmond Center for Health, 1501 Fred Jackson Way
- Richmond City Hall, 450 Civic Center Plaza
- West County Wastewater District, 2910 Hilltop Drive
According to the Contra Costa County Elections Office, some of the most common mistakes made by residents when voting via mail are: Forgetting to add a date of birth, not checking the U.S. Citizen box, using a P.O Box instead of a home address, and forgetting to sign the envelope.
After you fill out your ballot, you must insert it into the envelope provided, making sure you fill out the required information on the outside of the envelope.
You can track the status of a ballot by checking 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.
2. I’m looking for information about the Richmond mayor’s race
The candidates running for mayor of Richmond are: Ahmad Anderson, Claudia Jimenez, Demnlus Johnson, Eduardo Martinez and Mark Wassberg.
They participated in a number of election forums recently, including one hosted by Richmondside. Learn more about the race in these stories:
3. I’m looking for information about my Richmond City Council district race
Richmond voters elect their council representatives by districts. If you don’t live in a particular district, you won’t vote in that race. This election, District 2 council member Cesar Zepeda is running unopposed while there are contested races in District 3 and 4. (If you’re not sure which district you live in, use this city district map to look it up.)
In District 3 the incumbent, council member Doria Robinson, is running for reelection against Brandon Evans.
Learn more about the District 3 race in these stories:
In District 4, incumbent Soheila Bana is running against Keycha Gallon and Jamin Pursell. Learn more about this race in these stories:
Get prepared to elect a District 4 council member
4. How do I vote?
If you’re not sure if you’re registered or eligible to vote, here’s an article that explains how that works. To find out if you are currently registered to vote, visit the California Secretary of State’s Check Status of Your Voter Registration web page.
Same-day voter registration, known as Conditional Voter Registration, is a safety net for Californians who miss the deadline to register to vote or 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.
Here is a list of polling places in Richmond where you can cast a ballot in person. To see all of the polling places in the county, visit the Contra Costa County elections website.
5. Contra Costa County races and Measure B
There are several important Contra Costa County races on the June 2 ballot. Voters will choose a new superintendent of schools for the first time in nearly a decade. Here are some stories about those races:
To read all of Richmondside’s election stories, visit our primary election voter guide.
