In accordance with state law, all active registered voters in Sonoma County have been mailed vote-by-mail ballots for the November 8, 2022, General Election.
Beginning on Saturday, October 29, any voters who have not already voted by mail may vote in person at one of seven vote centers located throughout the county. Each vote center will be open for 11 straight days from Saturday, October 29 to Election Day (Tuesday, November 8). Hours of operation for the vote centers will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., except on Election Day itself when the hours will be extended from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The seven vote centers opening on Saturday are as follows (listed in alphabetical order by location):
Cotati Veterans Memorial Building
8505 Park Ave., Cotati
Healdsburg Community Center
1557 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg
Petaluma Veterans Memorial Building
1094 Petaluma Blvd. S., Petaluma
Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building
1351 Maple Ave., Santa Rosa
Sonoma County Registrar of Voters
435 Fiscal Drive, Santa Rosa
Sebastopol Center for the Arts
282 S High St., Sebastopol
Sonoma Valley Regional Library
755 W Napa St., Sonoma
On Saturday, November 5, an additional 24 vote centers (for a total of 31) will be open for four straight days through Election Day.
Unlike most elections in Sonoma County conducted prior to 2022, voters who want to cast their ballots in person can go to whichever voting location they choose; they are not assigned to a single place. This is because this year Sonoma County began conducting elections under the California Voter’s Choice Act election model. Named after the state law on which it is based, the objective of this model is to give voters more flexibility regarding how, when and where to cast their ballots.
Vote centers offer a variety of services in addition to traditional in-person voting, including serving as drop-off locations for vote-by-mail ballots, issuing replacement vote-by-mail ballots (for example, if a voter’s first ballot never arrived or was lost or spoiled), providing accessible ballot marking devices to those who need or wish to use them and language assistance. Registered voters may also update their voter information, and citizens who are eligible to vote but missed the standard voter registration deadline may complete a same-day voter registration and vote immediately on site.
Voters preferring to vote the vote-by-mail ballot that was mailed to them may return it in one of three ways:
- By mail. In order for the ballot to count, it must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by the Registrar of Voters Office within seven days of the election (by Tuesday, November 15).
- Drop it off at one of 21 official ballot drop boxes located throughout Sonoma County. Each is located outside and open 24/7 until 8 p.m. on Election Day .
- Bring it to any vote center during its hours of operation.
For a list and map of all vote centers and official ballot drop boxes in Sonoma County, including the dates and times they are open, please visit sonomacounty.ca.gov/where-to-vote.
For more information, please visit the Sonoma County Registrar of Voters website at socovotes.com, call (707) 565-6800, email rov-info@sonoma-county.org, or visit the Registrar of Voters Office in person at 435 Fiscal Drive, Santa Rosa. The office is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays (excluding county holidays). In addition, due to the November election, the office will be open the weekends of October 29-30 and November 5-6 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., as well as have extended hours from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, (Tuesday, November 8).
Photo: The Official Ballot Drop Box at the Sonoma Valley Regional Library