March 5^th Primary Election – It’s Time to Vote!

In California, all registered voters now receive ballots to Vote by Mail. Ballots were mailed in early February.  Be sure you fill out your ballot and return it on or before Tuesday, March 5^th.

Which Candidates are on Your Ballot:

California uses a top-two system for our primary elections.  This means that, except for the President and Political Party Officers, voters choose from all candidates running for that office.  The two candidates who receive the most votes move on to the general election in November.

If you are registered with a political party, your ballot will include the candidates from your Party.  If you are registered as “No Party Preference, your ballot will not include candidates for the presidential primary, unless you requested a Crossover Ballot (for the American Independence, Democratic or Libertarian parties) or changed your voter registration (for the Green, Peace&Freedom or Republican parties.).

If you did not receive the ballot that you want, or you missed the voter registration deadline, you can go to a Vote Center and request a Conditional Voter Registration.

Returning Your Ballot:

You have three ways to return your ballot. Click the links to find Dropbox and Vote Center locations near you.

1.     US Mail – No postage necessary

2.     Ballot Dropbox – Any Dropbox in Santa Clara County

3.     Vote Center – Some vote centers are open on Feb 24-Mar 5; most are open on March 2 - March 5.

You can track that your ballot is received and counted by going to WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov.

Key links:

Dropboxes

Vote Centers

WhereMyBallot

Candidate Forum Recordings:

LWVCS and other local Leagues hosted candidate forums to help voters learn more about the candidates.  You can access recordings of these forums on our website: www.lwvcs.org/election-forums

Forums that may be of high interest to voters in Cupertino and Sunnyvale include:

·      US Congressional District 17 here

·      State Assembly District 26 here

·      State Senate District 13 (Cupertino)  here

·      Santa Clara County Supervisor District 5 (Cupertino) here

·      Santa Clara Superior Court Judge, Seat 5 here

Vote411.org (or Vote411.org/California).

Visit the League of Women Voter's Vote411 to look up your personalized ballot and get all the election information you need. (Vote411 replaces VotersEdge)

·      Info on candidates, measures, and who supports them.

·      Check where, when, and how to vote.

·      Keep track of your choices and use them to vote.

Ballot Measures

There is only one California State measure on the primary ballot, Prop 1, which actually proposes two items: reallocation of some of the current funds counties receive as part of the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) passed in 2004, and a bond measure to build more facilities for mental health needs and housing for the homeless. You can find much more detailed and unbiased, neutral information in the links below.

• Pros & Cons - The shareable PDF version is available and has excellent information on Prop 1.
• Pros & Cons video - The video explainer is available on YouTube. You can also find the slide deck.
• Easy Voter Guide - Our Easy Voter Guide helps the election make sense. English, Spanish, Chinese, and Vietnamese language versions are currently available at easyvoterguide.org. The Easy Voter Guide also has an excellent analysis of Prop 1.

In addition, some Sunnyvale Voters will vote on Measure C, a Bond Measure for Sunnyvale Elementary School District.  You must live within the boundaries of Sunnyvale Elementary School District to vote on Measure C - see more below. LWVCS supports this Measure.