Silicon Valley 2024 general election guide

Election Day is Nov. 5. Here’s what you need to know.

Silicon Valley voters this November will cast ballots in one of the region’s most consequential elections: From deciding who to send to Washington to a historic county supervisorial election, there is no shortage of major decisions up and down the ballot.

On the national level, voters will weigh whether the Bay Area’s own Kamala Harris makes history by becoming the first female president or to give former President Donald Trump another trip to the White House. Santa Clara County voters will also decide on an open Assembly race, two supervisorial seats and a handful of council races across the South Bay.

How to register to vote

You can register to vote by clicking here. If you would like to fill out the registration form on paper, the form can be found at Santa Clara County’s Registrar of Voters office (1555 Berger Drive in San Jose), U.S. post offices, public libraries, the DMV, and other government offices. Completed forms must be returned in person or through mail, they cannot be faxed or emailed.

You can check your voter registration here. Learn more about who can vote on the county’s Registrar of Voters’ website.

When do vote-by-mail ballots go out? How do I return mine?

All registered voters in Santa Clara County will receive a ballot in the mail. Ballots go out on Oct. 7.

Voter registration forms are also available in multiple languages including Chinese, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese.

A mail-in ballot can be mailed without any postage. Ballots can be dropped off at the Registrar of Voters Office (1555 Berger Dr. in San Jose), at any voting center or at one of the county’s 102 official drop boxes. Here is a list of locations in the county or you can look up your closest drop off location.

You can track your mail-in ballot using the California Secretary of State’s “Where’s My Ballot?” platform.

Early voting

The Registrar of Voters will open for early in-person voting on Oct. 7 and will stay open through Election Day. Check here for the county’s list of voting centers, some of which open as early as Oct. 26.

Key dates

The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 21. Election Day is Nov. 5.

Vote by mail ballots must be postmarked by Election Day on Nov. 5, and received at the Registrar of Voters by Nov. 12.  

Resources

The county’s Registrar of Voters publishes voter information on its website and its YouTube channel.

Email questions to the office at [email protected] or call (408) 299-8683.

Who’s on my ballot?