With Election Day less than a month away, ballots have been mailed to all eligible voters throughout Santa Barbara County, and secure ballot drop boxes opened on Monday.
California residents can check their voter registration status online at voterstatus.sos.ca.gov, and those who still need to register to vote can do so online at registertovote.ca.gov or in person at any Santa Barbara County Elections Office.
The deadline to register to vote in this year’s general election is Oct. 24. However, people who miss that deadline can still register and vote conditionally on Election Day, Nov. 8.
According to the Santa Barbara County Elections Office, 236,497 people are registered to vote in the county as of Sept. 26.
Ballots can be returned several ways:
» By mail, as long as it is postmarked by Nov. 8
» Returned in person to one of the county’s elections offices — at 4440-A Calle Real in Santa Barbara; 511 Lakeside Parkway, Suite 134 in Santa Maria; and 401 E. Cypress Ave., Room 102 in Lompoc
» Returned by dropping it off at an official secure ballot drop box
» Returned by dropping it off at any polling place on Election Day
A list of drop box locations by city can be found on the county elections website here, and a list of polling places in Santa Barbara County can be found here.
The ballot for this year’s general election includes runoff races for several state and federal positions — such as governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, controller, treasurer, attorney general, insurance commissioner, the state board of equalization, state superintendent of public instruction, United States senators, congressional representatives, and State Assembly members — and local city council, school board and special district seats.
Several cities in Santa Barbara County will be holding their first district elections for City Council seats this year.
Local and state measures also will appear on the ballot, including sales tax increases, school bonds and parcel tax measures, an ordinance banning the sale of flavored tobacco products in Goleta, state propositions on in-person and online gambling, and more.
Click here for the official voter information guide for California, with more information on state measures and candidates for state and federal offices.
California voters can also sign up to track their ballots at wheresmyballot.sos.ca.gov.
Click here for Santa Barbara County Elections Office information, including local candidates, ballot measures and how to cast a ballot.
— Noozhawk staff writer Serena Guentz can be reached at sguentz@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.