Oakland's Nov. 5 election: How to register, where to vote, what's on the ballot

Elections no longer fit into this neat little package. Now, they’re spread out over many weeks due to fundamental changes in how we vote. These changes have mostly made our elections more democratic by making it easier for people to vote. But the tradeoff is that, on what used to be called election night, we rarely go to bed knowing most of the winners in most races.

Today, it makes more sense to call it an election season because the process is spread over weeks. Most Californians — 88% as of the last election — now vote using a mail-in ballot. Alameda County and many other California counties also open up voting centers more than a week before Election Day. By transitioning to a system in which all registered voters are automatically sent a mail-in ballot almost a month before Election Day and with in-person voting available a week early, voters have been given more time and flexibility to fill out their ballots.

But this means that it now takes a lot longer for local election officials to tally all the ballots and determine who the winners are. More about this below.

Nov. 5 is a general election, which means there’s going to be a lot of stuff on the ballot, including U.S. president, members of Congress, state senator and assemblymember. Starting at the local level and zooming out, here’s some of what you can expect to see on your ballot if you live in Oakland. Keep in mind that exactly what you see on your ballot and get to vote on will differ based on what City Council district or other part of the city you live in. For example, you get to vote in the Oakland City Council District 7 race only if you live in the parts of East Oakland that D7 represents. Here’s how to check which district you live in.



https://oaklandside.org/2024/09/19/oakland-nov-5-election-everything-voters-need-to-know/