Note: Berkeleyside updated this gallery throughout Election Day and into the night. Scroll down to view all the photos.

It’s election day, but many Berkeley residents won’t be going to the polls. That’s because, according to the Registrar of Voters, 70% of the city’s voters submit their ballots by mail. But there’s election activity around town nonetheless, at polling stations where people are plowing through the  lengthy ballot to claim their “I voted” sticker, and on the streets as locals show their support for particular measures or candidates by brandishing signs, and the candidates themselves engage in eleventh-hour campaigning.

Berkeleyside photographer Pete Rosos, as well as others on the team, are out and about capturing democracy in action in our city, and we’ll be updating this photo gallery throughout the day. Send us your best election photos — email to editors@berkeleyside.com or tag us on Twitter including caption and credit details — and your image may be included.

And if you haven’t voted yet and still need some information to help you make your choices, check out our comprehensive election coverage.

An artistic installation at a home on Claremont Crescent by Anandamayi Arnold and Gary Amaro, aims to get out the vote. Photo: Pete Rosos
Claremont Crescent voting display by Gary Amaro and Anandamayi Arnold as seen on night of Nov. 5. Photo: Pete Rosos
A sign encouraging people to vote outside Books Inc on Shattuck Avenue on Nov. 6. Photo: Tracey Taylor
Early morning voters wait outside the Sylvia Mendez Auditorium shortly after the opening of the polls. Photo: Pete Rosos
Volunteer phone bankers Joanne Wile (former mayor of Albany) and Lynn Brown take notes as Rachael Terp gives an orientation on today’s phone banking for the Sister District Wall of Calls campaign to ‘Flip Michigan Blue’ at the Sports Basement Community Room. Phone banking volunteers will be at it till 5 p.m. today. Photo: Pete Rosos
Volunteer phone bankers Joanne Wile (former mayor of Albany) and Lynn Brown take notes as Rachael Terp gives an orientation on today’s phone banking for the Sister District Wall of Calls campaign to ‘Flip Michigan Blue’ at the Sports Basement Community Room. Phone banking volunteers will be at it till 5 p.m. today. Photo: Pete Rosos
First-time voter and recently naturalized citizen Sal Parsa emerging from the 1931 Center St. polling station on Nov. 6. Photo: Pete Rosos
Cal grad student Sarah Harris submits her ballot at the Milvia Street mail-in ballot box. While there she asked others submitting their ballots if they’d signed the ballots, “because we’ve got to get it right this time.” Harris said she just hopes this election night doesn’t end up like the last one when she polished off a fifth of rum. “The first one-fifth was in celebration, and the rest of the bottle was in desperation.” Photo and reporting: Pete Rosos
An ‘I voted’ sticker written in Vietnamese. The polling station that gave it out, on Gilman four blocks east of San Pablo Avenue, had four languages — Vietnamese, Spanish, English and Tagalog — according to Paul Dubbell who took the photo of the sticker on himself
An ‘I voted’ sticker written in Vietnamese. The polling station that gave it out, on Gilman four blocks east of San Pablo Avenue, had four languages — Vietnamese, Spanish, English and Tagalog — according to Paul Dubbell who took the photo of the sticker on himself
Says Mark Pasley: “This morning my husband Elic Suazo and I woke up early, went to our new polling place and surrendered our absentee ballots so we could vote in person. The volunteers were a sweet and diverse group. They let me take this photo of Elic happily scanning his ballot. While we enjoyed this process, we couldn’t forget the thousands of our fellow citizens who are being prevented from voting by various GOP dirty tricks.” Photo: Mark Pasley
Ms. Richie working at the Harriet Tubman complex polling station on Adeline Street. Photo: Natalie Orenstein
Jovanka Beckles supporters Matt Stone and Keyian Vafai demonstrate their opposition to Beckles opponent Buffy Wicks on Sproul Plaza at UC Berkeley for CALPIRG’s election party. Photo: Pete Rosos
Buffy Wicks supporter Maddy Levine promotes the candidate, with Beckles supporters in the background, on Sproul Plaza at UC Berkeley for CALPIRG’s election party. Photo: Pete Rosos
Voters emerge from the Lutheran Church of the Cross polling station as poll workers review the documents. Photo: Pete Rosos
Mary Mathew stumping for Rashi on University Avenue. Photo: Pete Rosos
Kacey Carpenter stumps for Jovanka Beckles on the corner of MLK and University. Photo: Pete Rosos
Dylan Harriman and Jane Sadler do some last minute stumping for Buffy Wicks at Sather Gate. Photo: Pete Rosos
School board members from the past and possibly future at Spats watch party. L to r: Beatriz Leyva-Cutler, Ka’dijah Brown, Julie Sinai, Ty Alper and Karen Hemphill. Photo: Frances Dinkelspiel
Watch party at Spats Berkeley around the time first local election results started coming in. Photo: Pete Rosos
Watch party at Spats Berkeley around the time first local election results started coming in. Photo: Pete Rosos
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Watch party at Spats the night of the election. Photo: Pete Rosos
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Mayor Jesse Arreguín at watch party at Spats Tuesday night. Photo: Pete Rosos
The UC Berkeley graduate student union, UAW 2165, had an election watch party, with plenty of pizza and beer. Photo: Natalie Orenstein


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