Early in-person voting begins this weekend

With all ballots mailed out to registered voters, early in-person voting begins this weekend for Nov. 8 election

Beginning on Saturday, Oct. 29, any voters who have not already voted by mail may vote in person at one of seven vote centers located throughout the county. The Sonoma Valley location is the Sonoma Valley Regional Library. 755 W Napa St., Sonoma.

Each vote center will be open for 11 straight days from Saturday, Oct. 29 to Election Day (Tuesday, Nov. 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 County’s other 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

On Saturday, Nov. 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.

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:

1.  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, Nov. 15).

2.  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.

3.  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.