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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my polling place move?
The Office of Elections seeks to use the same polling place for each countywide election, so your polling place normally does not move from the primary to the general election. However, there are a couple of factors that can cause polling places to change. The primary reason polling places change is when the Office of Elections is conducting smaller elections -- such as a districts election for a city council or school district where the turnout will be lower. In these instances fewer polling places are needed so they are consolidated to minimize financial impact. The second reason polling places change is due to availability of the polling place facilities. When polling place facilities have a change in availability or require a fee to use the polling place facility, the Office of Elections must coordinate with alternate polling place facilities, resulting in a change of polling place.

The Office of Elections understands that polling place changes can cause confusion and strives to provide stable polling places from one election to another. Unfortunately, this is not always possible.

To minimize potential confusion caused by polling place changes, voters can always determine their polling place by looking at the back of their sample ballot. The sample ballot contains the name and address of the voter's polling place. A second method voters can use to find their polling place is to contact the Office of Elections at 707-445-7481 and Elections staff can verify a voter's polling place. A third method voters can use to find their polling place is to become a permanent vote-by-mail (VBM) voter by applying for a permanent absentee ballot. With this third method the Office of Elections automatically mails voters a ballot for each election in which they are eligible to vote. For more information about becoming a permanent vote-by-mail voter, look at our pages on voting by mail.

Show All Answers

1. Where is the Office of Elections located?
2. How do I register to vote?
3. How can I vote using a vote-by-mail ballot?
4. What does the Secretary of State do?
5. How does a recall work?
6. Why am I in a mail-ballot precinct?
7. Why does my polling place move?