Voters are heading to the polls today to make their picks in the primary election.
Berkeleyside will be covering the state Senate District 7 and the Alameda County Supervisor District 5 races, Prop 1 and measures B and H.
Don’t worry if your vote-by-mail ballot is sitting on your table nagging you, if you filled it out but aren’t sure what to do next, or if you’re wondering how you can vote even if you aren’t registered yet or never got your ballot.
There’s still time to vote and make your voice heard. The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and there are several places to vote in person or drop off your ballot.
How to submit your ballot
Once you stick your completed mail-in ballot in the envelope, you can drop it off in any regular blue U.S. Postal Service mailbox — no postage needed. Don’t forget to sign it. It must be postmarked by Tuesday.
The county has also set up a number of secure drop boxes, where you can put your ballot in until 8 p.m. This might be preferable to dropping your ballot in the mail if you’ve waited this long. Check out this interactive map to find the box closest to you. Here are the six boxes in Berkeley:
- Berkeley Civic City Center, 2180 Milvia St.
- UC Berkeley, between Sather Gate And Architects and the Engineers Building
- Frances A. Recreation Center, 2800 Park St.
- Claremont Branch Library, 2940 Benvenue Ave.
- North Branch Library, 1170 The Alameda
- Berkeley Public Library West Branch, 1125 University Ave.
You can also vote in person or bring your ballot to any of the many voting centers in Alameda County, regardless of where you live. Find one that’s convenient for you on this map or by calling 1-800-834-6454. The centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Here are nine in Berkeley:
- UC Berkeley Public Service Center, 2465 Bancroft Way #218
- Ed Roberts Campus, 3075 Adeline St.
- Rosa Park Elementary School, 920 Allston Way
- Longfellow School, gymnasium, 1522 Ward St.
- West Campus, Oxford gymnasium, 2110 Browning St.
- YWCA Berkeley/Oakland, 2600 Bancroft Way
- Willard Middle School, 2425 Stuart St.
- Epworth United Methodist Church, 1953 Hopkins St.
- North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave.
If you never received or lost your ballot, or made a mistake filling it out, you can still vote at any of the centers. Just bring your mail-in ballot to the center if you have one, and you can swap it for a fresh one.
At many of these locations you can register to vote on the spot if you missed the deadline, and you’ll be able to cast a conditional ballot; check which sites provide this service.
What’s on the March primary ballot?
The primary ballot is a lot shorter than November’s general election, but it contains dozens of candidates who are running for federal, state and local offices — plus important decisions on who will govern Alameda County, how California will raise and use money for mental health services and supportive housing and more.
At Berkeleyside, we’re focused on covering a handful of local races, city and countywide ballot measures and a state proposition. You can check out CalMatters’ voting guide for coverage of races for the U.S. Senate and U.S. House.
Here the five contests we’ll be following:
State and county races
- Five candidates, including Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín, are running for the state Senate District 7 seat. The top two vote-getters will move onto a runoff in the Nov. 5 general election.
- The District 5 Alameda County Supervisor seat is up for grabs after Supervisor Keith Carson announced in December that he wasn’t running after 30 years of service. The top two vote-getters will advance to the general election.
Ballot measures and propositions
- Proposition 1 is a state initiative that would do two things. First, it’s a bond that would raise up to $6.38 billion for behavioral health treatment and residential facilities, and supportive housing for people with mental health challenges who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. It would also change how funding from the Mental Health Services Act is spent. Read our story about how it could change services in Alameda County. CalMatters also has a useful more general guide to Prop 1.
- Measure B is a county ballot measure that would swap out the county’s existing rules for the recall of an elected official and adopt the state’s rules. This could impact the recall campaign to unseat District Attorney Pamela Price. Read our story.
- Measure H is a ballot measure that would renew and increase the Berkeley Schools Excellence Program, a parcel tax that was first approved in 1986. If approved, the tax would raise $44 million per year for several Berkeley Unified programs. Read our story.
Read Berkeleyside’s primary stories on our election page, and check back this evening to follow our coverage of the results.
