SACRAMENTO, Calif. — It's election season again and ABC10 wants to make sure you have all the information and tools you need to vote.
Nov. 8 is the general election, which means there's a lot to decide, from abortion rights and sports betting to statewide candidates for the U.S. Senate, Governor, Attorney General and more.
But before you even decide how you want to vote, we know you may have questions about voting in general. That's why we're going out into the community ahead of Election Day to find out how we can help you. We've received a lot of questions, and we're answering them.
Our team will continue to update this article as we receive more questions. Check back for updates - we may be answering a question you have!
Q. How can I check to see if I'm registered to vote?
A. You can check your registration status and/or register to vote HERE. You may need to provide some personal information, such as your ID number and/or social security number. If you don’t have either, contact your county elections office HERE.
Q. Can I still register to vote?
A. Yes! Oct. 24 is the last day to register to vote online and by mail. However, same day registration is still available from Oct. 25 all the way up to Election Day on Nov. 8. That means you can register and vote at your county elections office, polling place or vote center.
Q. How can I check the status of my mail-in ballot?
A. You can track your ballot HERE. In order to check whether your vote was counted, you may need to provide some personal information, such as your ID number and/or social security number. If you don’t have either, contact your county elections office HERE.
Sacramento County Elections also partnered up with BallotTrax, another way to get up-to-date information about the status of your ballot and receive updates directly to your email or phone for free! Click HERE to sign up for updates.
Q. What should I do if I didn't receive my mail-in ballot?
A. Ballots were delivered on Oct. 10. Delivery will depend on your local mail service. If you have not received your ballot by Oct. 17, call the California Secretary of State at 800-345-8683.
Q. What do I need to know about properly filling out my ballot?
A. When you are making a selection, be sure to fill in the oval of your selection completely. Avoid voting for more candidates than allowed for each contest. You are not required to vote on every contest in order for your vote to be counted. For more details, click HERE. When signing your ballot, keep in mind your signature will be compared to the one you provided when you registered. If you don’t remember what it looks like, make sure it looks like the one on your license or ID.
If you make a mistake and mark your ballot wrong, it’s best to get a new ballot. You can contact your county elections office HERE or take your ballot to a local polling place or voting center and request a replacement.
Q. Where can I return my mail-in ballot? Do you have to drop off your ballot in your precinct?
A. If you are returning your ballot by mail to your county elections official, it must be postmarked by Election Day to be counted and received by your county elections office no later than seven days after Election Day. You can also drop off your ballot at a ballot drop box location or at a polling location anywhere in the state.
Q. How will homeless people be able to vote?
A. People experiencing homelessness can register to vote as long as they have a location to receive mail and are properly assigned to the voting precinct they spend most of their time. That includes a shelter they are currently staying in. However, if voters don't have a specific address they can use, they can also list street corners or a park or business address.
- On Oct. 13 from 7-11 a.m., Sacramento County voter registration staff will be at Loaves & Fishes (1351 N. C St.) to help unhoused residents register to vote, update their registration information and answer any questions related to voting.
Q. Two of my family members passed away back in 2021 and I marked their ballots "deceased," but their ballots still came in the mail. What should I do?
A. According to Sacramento County Voter Registration and Elections, when you mark a ballot deceased and mail it back to the office, that should prevent future ballots from being sent out. However, if by chance a ballot is still sent out, you're encouraged to call 916-875-1778 for Sacramento County. You can find your local county elections office HERE.
Q. I have not received my absentee ballot. What should I do?
A. County elections officials mail vote-by-mail ballots to all active registered voters. If you have not received yours, you can apply for a replacement ballot. You'll need to fill out the application HERE and provide it to your county elections official.
Q. Why won't you mention on your explainer video on Proposition 1 that it has no language restricting late term abortions in California?
A. Our video focused on what is included in the propositions, not what they don't do. This is an argument from the "no" campaign on Proposition 1 who say it would legalize late term abortions, but it's a speculative argument. Prop 1 itself doesn't legalize late term abortions. California already has statutory laws banning abortions after viability, which is around week 24 of pregnancy.
Q. Can you let us know what the immediate and future impact of Proposition 30 would be if it passes?
A. Proposition 30 is a new higher income tax rate on income over $2 million a year. The new tax would apply to next year's income (the 2023 tax year) and it would go on for another 20 years. It's supposed to raise a few billion dollars a year for the state, some of which will go toward fighting and preventing wildfires. Most of the money will pay for zero emission vehicles. There's also a state budget impact to Prop 30. Up to $3 billion dollars a year of the spending would count toward the state's annual spending limit.
Q. Who wrote the propositions and who is paying for the advertising, both pro and con?
A. California law requires political ads to show you major funders but it can be easy to miss the fine print. Click HERE to see the top 10 donors who are 'for' and 'against' each ballot question. As for who wrote the propositions, we don't get to know for sure. Campaigns are not required to tell us the author's name, but somebody does have to submit every prop. You can see that under each proposition number under the same website. Not sure how to check for either of these still? Click HERE to watch a tutorial.
Q. Why is the same prop (Proposition 29) brought up to a vote when it was already voted on previously?
A. Proposition 29 is similar but not the exact same language as the two propositions before it about dialysis, which Californians already voted down the last two elections. Regardless, California law states as long as there's enough signatures to get a prop on the ballot, voters will vote on it.
Q. Can I skip voting on some of these?
A. Yes. It's perfectly legal to skip a race on your ballot. That's called under voting. You can skip any vote you want- it won't invalidate your ballot.
Have any other questions you would like for us to answer? You can submit them in our online survey.
We are asking for your honest answers to the following questions to bring you the most helpful and relevant information during the election season. We encourage you to answer as many questions as you can, but we understand you may not feel comfortable answering them all.
If you provide your contact information in the survey, we will also provide key updates and resources leading up to the election. You can find our election coverage HERE.