Voting is underway for Palo Alto’s Nov. 3 municipal election, with the standard voter registration deadline approaching Monday, Oct. 19.
Three City Council seats and Measure J, a half-cent sales tax for general city services, with advisory spending guidelines supporting Cubberley Community Center improvements, are on the ballot. The seats held by Council members Ed Lauing, Julie Lythcott-Haims and Vicki Veenker are all up for election, according to the City Clerk's City Council election page.
Every registered voter in Santa Clara County will receive a ballot by mail. No postage is required to return it.
Key deadlines
The last day to register through the standard registration process is Monday, Oct. 19. Voters who miss that deadline can still register conditionally at any vote center through Election Day.
Replacement ballots can be requested by mail through the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters through Tuesday, Oct. 27. Voters can track their ballot online using the California Secretary of State's "Where's My Ballot?" tool.
Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 3 and received by Tuesday, Nov. 10.
Drop boxes
Five secure drop boxes are available around the clock, according to the county’s official drop box list:
- Palo Alto City Hall, 250 Hamilton Ave.
- Palo Alto High School, 50 Embarcadero Road
- Mitchell Park Library, 3700 Middlefield Road (at curb near front entrance)
- Rinconada Library, 1213 Newell Road (north side of building, opposite the Art Center)
- Stanford Hospital, 300 Pasteur Drive
Ballots must be deposited by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3 to be counted. The Library's voter guide warns voters not to put ballots in library book drops.
Vote centers
The county has designated eight vote centers in Palo Alto and Stanford for this election, according to its official vote center list. Voters can use any center in Santa Clara County, not just one near their address. Centers offer accessible voting machines, multilingual materials and same-day registration.
Two centers open Saturday, Oct. 24: the Palo Alto Art Center (1313 Newell Road) and Ventura Community Center (3990 Ventura Court). Both operate 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Monday, Nov. 2, then 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Six more centers open Saturday, Oct. 31:
- Mitchell Park Community Center, 3700 Middlefield Road
- Palo Alto Buddhist Temple, 2751 Louis Road
- Palo Alto Elks Lodge, 4249 El Camino Real
- Palo Alto Lawn Bowls Club, 474 Embarcadero Road
- Stanford Graduate Community Center, 750 Escondido Road
- Stanford Tresidder Memorial Union, 459 Lagunita Drive
Those six centers keep the same hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Nov. 2, then 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Early in-person voting is also available at the Registrar of Voters office, 1555 Berger Drive, Building 2, in San Jose, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The office will be closed Monday, Oct. 12, according to the county.
For questions, call the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters at 866-430-VOTE (8683). County election officials must certify results by Thursday, Dec. 3, according to the secretary of state’s election calendar.
