As November nears, many eyes are fixed on the national midterm elections, with voters wondering whether the House and Senate will flip in favor of the Democrats, what big money will buy, and how regular people will fare once the polls are closed.<\/p>\n
The local elections are a bit sleepier this time. In Oakland\u2019s April special election, there were 10 candidates for mayor. This time, there are four. One city councilmember is running entirely unopposed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even so, there are still plenty of important decisions facing Oakland voters.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Locally, they\u2019ll decide on the mayor, three City Council seats, three school board posts, and two ballot measures. There are also 14 California propositions plus races for regional, state, and federal reps.<\/p>\n
Read on for what you need to know about the Nov. 3 election.<\/p>\n
Have a question this guide didn\u2019t answer? Let us know by filling out the feedback form at the bottom of this post.<\/p>\n
Sept. 24 \u2014 Official voter information guide mailed to registered voters<\/p>\n
Oct. 5 \u2014\u00a0First day of voting! Mail-in ballots are sent out and can be returned anytime up until Nov. 3. Ballot drop boxes open. Early voting in person also begins.<\/p>\n
Oct. 19 \u2014 Last day to register to vote<\/p>\n
Oct. 24 \u2014 10-day voting centers open for in-person voting<\/p>\n
Oct. 27 \u2014 Last day to request a vote-by-mail ballot<\/p>\n
Oct. 31 \u2014 4-day voting centers open<\/p>\n
Nov. 3 \u2014 Last day to vote. Preliminary results will be posted after 8 p.m.<\/p>\n
When do I get my ballot?<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re registered to vote, you will receive a ballot through the mail on or shortly after Oct. 5. By then, you should have also already gotten the official voter guide from the Alameda County Registrar of Voters. It\u2019ll have a lot of good information in it about how to take part in the election.<\/p>\n
How do I make sure my ballot was counted?<\/p>\n
If you can, mail in your ballot well before the Nov. 3 deadline.<\/p>\n
Late last year, the Trump administration changed the rules around the postmarking of mail<\/a>, causing some ballots to get stamped later. So, ballots mailed on or close to Election Day may not get the Nov. 3 postmark they need to qualify to be counted. The administration has taken other steps recently to try to restrict mail-in voting. That\u2019s why some California election officials are even urging voters to forgo mailing ballots<\/a> back to the registrar and instead deliver them via drop boxes or in person (more about these methods below).<\/p>\n There is a way to track your ballot while it\u2019s in transit. By logging into the Where\u2019s My Ballot<\/a> website, you can get updates on the status of your ballot as it leaves the county registrar\u2019s office and makes its way via the USPS to your mailbox, and after you mail it back or deliver it in person.<\/p>\n How do I register to vote or check my voter registration?<\/p>\n Go to the California Secretary of State\u2019s website<\/a> and be prepared to enter your driver\u2019s license or state ID number, the last four digits of your Social Security Number, and your date of birth. If you don\u2019t have a license or ID, you can still register, but there are a few additional steps.<\/p>\n To register, you must be:<\/p>\n 18 or older<\/p>\n A U.S. citizen and resident of California<\/p>\n Not currently serving a federal prison sentence for a felony<\/p>\n Not currently found mentally incompetent to vote by a court<\/p>\n Voters have rights, including the right to a ballot and materials in a language other than English, the right to vote without anyone bothering you or telling you how to vote, and the right to report illegal or fraudulent activity. California voters\u2019 full rights<\/a> are described on the Secretary of State\u2019s website.<\/p>\n The deadline to register to vote is always 15 days before an election. But don\u2019t worry if you miss that. You can still vote by conditionally registering, even on the same day as the election. It\u2019s called conditional registration, and it\u2019s not hard. For more information, check out the Secretary of State\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n What\u2019s on the ballot?<\/p>\n There\u2019s a lot on the ballot. The following is a list of almost everything you\u2019ll vote on if you\u2019re an Oakland voter. Not all Oakland voters will have the same choices because the lines for City Council and school board districts, congressional districts, state assembly boundaries, and the wards for transit and utility boards cut across different parts of the city.<\/p>\n Oakland ballot measures<\/p>\n Rewriting the Oakland City Charter: If approved, this measure<\/a> would dramatically shift power in Oakland\u2019s government. It would make the mayor the city\u2019s chief executive, giving them the authority to direct the city\u2019s operations and a line-item budget veto. The council would have a veto override and some new powers of its own. Learn more<\/a>.<\/p>\n Real estate transfer tax: This measure<\/a> would ensure that Oakland\u2019s real estate transfer tax, a big source of revenue, would apply to foreclosures, with some exceptions. Learn more<\/a>.<\/p>\n Oakland city officials<\/p>\n We\u2019re gearing up to publish in-depth coverage of all these races and candidates before you get your ballot in the mail. Check back here for updates, or subscribe to our newsletter<\/a> to get our reporting in your inbox.<\/p>\n Mayor: Brenda Grisham, Barbara Lee, Mindy Pechenuk, and Julius Robinson<\/p>\n City Council District 2: Nathaniel Adams, Charlene Wang<\/p>\n City Council District 4: Janani Ramachandran<\/p>\n City Council District 6: Kevin Jenkins, Nancy Sidebotham<\/p>\n City auditor: Michael Houston<\/p>\n Oakland Unified District 2: Jennifer Brouhard, Arielle Fleisher<\/p>\n Oakland Unified District 4: Kathryn Camp, Mike Hutchinson, Sylvia Williams<\/p>\n Oakland Unified District 6: Valarie Bachelor, LeAna Powell, Alexandra Williams<\/p>\n Alameda County<\/p>\n Peralta Community College District board seats 1, 3, 5, and 7<\/p>\n AC Transit District board seats 1, 3, 4, 5, and 7<\/p>\n BART board districts 4 and 6<\/p>\n EBMUD board wards 3, 4, and 7<\/p>\n East Bay Regional Park District wards 3 and 5<\/p>\n Regional Transit Measure: If approved, this measure<\/a> would impose a 0.5% sales tax in Alameda County (and similar taxes in other neighboring counties) to raise nearly $1 billion per year over 14 years to prevent cuts to BART, AC Transit, and other regional bus and rail agencies.<\/p>\n California<\/p>\n 14 propositions: From the much-talked-about billionaire tax to bonds for affordable housing and medical research and CEQA changes. For more information, check out the Secretary of State\u2019s official voter guide<\/a>, CalMatters\u2019 guide<\/a>, or the Los Angeles Times\u2019 guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n Governor<\/p>\n Lt. Governor<\/p>\n Secretary of State<\/p>\n Controller<\/p>\n Treasurer<\/p>\n Attorney general<\/p>\n Insurance commissioner<\/p>\n Member, State Board of Equalization, District 2<\/p>\n State Assembly, 14th District: Mark Rendon, Buffy Wicks<\/p>\n State Assembly, 18th District: Mia Bonta, Andre Sandford<\/p>\n Congress<\/p>\n United States Representative, 12th District: Lateefah Simon, Jamie Joyce<\/p>\n What do I do with my ballot?<\/p>\n Once you have your ballot, there are several ways to vote:<\/p>\n Fill it out and mail it back to the registrar so it\u2019ll be counted. If you do this, you may want to drop it off at a post office or mailbox well before Nov. 3 to be extra sure it\u2019s counted.\u00a0<\/p>\n Fill out the ballot you got in the mail and deliver it to a dropbox. The registrar sets up 24-hour drop boxes across the county starting on Oct. 5 Here\u2019s a map of the dropbox locations<\/a>.<\/p>\n Vote in person at one of the voting centers in the county. You can bring your mailed ballot, or you can request a ballot at the center. Some voting centers open 10 days before Nov. 3, while others open 4 days before. For a full list, check out the registrar\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n Wait, didn\u2019t Trump restrict voting by mail?<\/p>\n No, but over many years, President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized voting by mail and spread conspiracy theories<\/a> about it, despite taking advantage of this voting method<\/a> himself.<\/p>\n Over the past year, the Trump administration has tried to make voting by mail much more difficult by adding layers of new restrictions.<\/p>\n