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Administration of Elections
Administration of Elections
“The times, places and manner of holding elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but Congress may alter at any time by law make or alter such regulations…”
U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 4
Election Officials
Election Officials
California Secretary of State
Shirley Nash Weber, Ph.D. was nominated to serve as California Secretary of State by Governor Gavin Newsom on December 22, 2020 and sworn into office on January 29, 2021. Voters elected her for a full term on November 8, 2022. Weber is California’s first Black Secretary of State and only the fifth African American to serve as a state constitutional officer in California’s 173-year history.
I am honored and excited to be serving as your Clerk-Recorder-Assessor and Registrar of Voters. Our office provides so many core vital services to the public and we believe in the importance of doing so fairly, efficiently and with great customer service.
I look forward to building on the successes we have had in the past, while embracing many future improvements.
Deva Marie Proto
California Elections: This is the main elections page for California State Elections.
State Voter Guide: This is an incredibly well done website with information about all state offices and propositions.
General Election: Main Page: This is the main page on elections for Sonoma County.
Sonoma County Voter Information Lookup: Click this link to verify your voter status, find your sample ballot, and information voter guide specific to your address.
Voter Registration
Voter Registration
Registration: A procedure of voter identification intended to prevent fraudulent voting. All states except North Dakota require citizens to register to vote prior to the election.
Process
Process
Go to the following link: Online Voter Registration
Same Day "conditionally register and vote" is available at the Sonoma County Registrar of Voters Office or at any Vote Center. Click here for more information.
The registrar of voters of each county complies and maintains a list of all eligible voters in the county. When you register they are required to verify your eligibility, which is why you are required to submit proof of citizenship. They are also required to verify the list before each election and remove voters who have died based upon the county coroners list of death certificates.
Requirements
Requirements
Citizenship: Most States require United States citizenship in order to vote, but it is only required for Federal Elections per 18 U.S. Code § 611 - Voting by aliens (1996)
Residence: One must be a legal resident of a State to vote in elections. Most States require residency for minimum amounts of time in order to vote in the State.
Age: The 26th Amendment requires that no State set a minimum voting age above 18, which all states do, but states can set it lower.
Election Timeline
Election Timeline
Getting a candidate on the ballot
Getting a candidate on the ballot
Non-partisan offices like City Council and Schoolboard only require a candidate to register with the county registrar of voters. That process for Sonoma County can be found by clicking here.
Candidates for state or federal office require either:
Nomination by a political party with the nominee appearing in the spot on the ballot reserved for that party.
The gathering of enough signatures submitted to the Secretary of State for California.
Political Parties and Nominations
Political Parties and Nominations
Candidates for statewide office are nominated in the Party primaries of each state and the names submitted to the Secretary of State of California for inclusion on the ballot.
Candidates for president earn delegates in each state primary or caucus who vote for the party nominee at a national convention. The winner at the convention has their name submitted to the secretary of state of each state that has a reserved slot for their party's candidate.
Voting Process
Voting Process
Method of Voting
Method of Voting
California allows for both voting in person and voting by absentee ballot.
In-person voting is conducted at a local polling place based upon the address you gave when you registered to vote. Click here for your local polling place.
Absentee voting is conducted by sending an absentee ballot to the address you gave when registering to vote. You then fill it out and mail it to the County registrar or drop it off at the county office or vote center.
Filling out your Ballot
Filling out your Ballot
If you are voting absentee, it is like a take home test. Vote for the candidates you know you know you want to vote for and yes or no on the propositions you know and then research the ones you are unsure of or need more information.
DO NOT FORGET TO SIGN YOUR BALLOT ENVELOPE! The county election officials must compare your signature on the ballot return envelope to the signature you used when registering. If it doesn't match, your vote will be invalidated.
If voting in-person, use your sample ballot that was sent to you to research and record your choices and take it with you to the polling place.
Election Results
Election Results
Election Day
Election Day
Sonoma County Election Results This is the official page for monitoring election results as they are reported by the voting precincts.
Many news organizations will be looking at results as they come in and reporting them on air or on their websites.
News agencies may call a race if they think that one candidate is likely to win, but this does not mean that that candidate has won.
Certification
Certification
Certification of results are required by December 11 by the Secretary of State for each state for federal and statewide elections, and by the Registrar of voters for local races.
All results are unofficial until officially certified to allow for challenges to be made and resolved.
Generally a recount is automatically triggered when the difference between candidates is 1% or less. A candidate may request a recount if it is greater than that, but usually their campaign has to pay for it unless they have "credible evidence" of voting irregularities.
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