The recall vote determining whether Gov. Gavin Newsom will finish out his term is today. Voters must mail their ballot, deposit it at a secure drop-off location or vote in person by 8 p.m. this evening.
Still need to cast your ballot? Here’s what you need to know to vote in-person on Election Day.
Find your polling place
The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday. As long as you are in line by 8 p.m., you will be able to vote.
To find your polling place, you can enter your address into this tool provided by the California Secretary of State. In most instances, voters in California don’t need to present identification at their polling place, but first time in-person voters who have not provided their driver license number, California identification number or last four digits of their social security number on their registration form may be asked to show a form of ID, according to the California Secretary of State.
Sacramento County
There are 30 vote centers in Sacramento County, and you can vote at any of them regardless of where in the county you live, according to Janna Haynes, the public information manager for Sacramento County voter registration and elections.
To find the polling place nearest to you, you can download the SACVOTE mobile app. Haynes added that the registrar’s office also serves as an unofficial 31st destination for in-person voting because people can pickup what’s really a vote-by-mail ballot and leave it at the registrar’s drop box. Here’s where to vote:
- City of Citrus Heights City Hall, 6360 Fountain Square Dr Citrus Heights, CA 95621
- CNU Event Center, 9650 W Taron Dr Elk Grove, CA 95757
- Harris Center for the Arts at Folsom Lake College, 10 College Pkwy Folsom, CA 95630
- Department of Human Assistance – Galt, 210 N Lincoln Way Galt, CA 95632
- Murph – Emmanuel A M E Church, 4151 Don Julio Blvd North Highlands, CA 95660
- Koreana Plaza, 10947 Olson Dr, Suite 402 Rancho Cordova, CA 95670
- California Museum, 1020 O St Sacramento, CA 95814
- Oak Park Community Center, 3425 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd Sacramento, CA 95817
- Department of Human Assistance – Florin, 2450 Florin Rd Sacramento, CA 95822
- St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, 7595 Center Pkwy (Enter from Tangerine Ave) Sacramento, CA 95823
- Richard T. Conzelmann Community Center, 2201 Cottage Way Sacramento, CA 95825
- Unity of Sacramento Church, 9249 Folsom Blvd Sacramento, CA 95826
- Fletcher Farm Community Center, 7245 Fletcher Farm Dr Sacramento, CA 95828
- Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs (APAPA), 4000 Truxel Rd, Suite 3 (Enter from Natomas Crossing Dr) Sacramento, CA 95834
- Greater Sacramento Urban League, 3725 Marysville Blvd Sacramento, CA 95838
- Elk Grove United Methodist Church, 8986 Elk Grove Blvd Elk Grove, CA 95624
- The Center at District, 568230 Civic Center Dr Elk Grove, CA 95757
- Faith Lutheran Church, 4000 San Juan Ave Fair Oaks, CA 95628
- Folsom Community Center, 52 Natoma St Folsom, CA 95630
- Orangevale Recreation & Park District – Activity Building, 6818 Hazel Ave Orangevale, CA 95662
- Depot Building and Park, 6730 Front St Rio Linda, CA 95673
- California State University Sacramento (CSUS) Modoc Hall, 3020 State University Dr Sacramento, CA 95819
- Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer, 4641 Marconi Ave Sacramento, CA 95821
- Valley Hi – North Laguna Library, 7400 Imagination Pkwy Sacramento, CA 95823
- Robbie Waters Pocket-Greenhaven Library, 7335 Gloria Dr Sacramento, CA 95831
- South Natomas Library, 2901 Truxel Rd Sacramento, CA 95833
- North Natomas Library, 4660 Via Ingoglia Sacramento, CA 95835
- American River College, 4700 College Oak Dr (Enter Lot A Parking from Myrtle Ave) Sacramento, CA 95841
- Walnut Grove Library, 14177 Market St Walnut Grove, CA 95690
- Wilton Community Center, 9717 Colony Rd (Enter Parking from Dillard Rd) Wilton, CA 95693
El Dorado County
There are six vote centers open in El Dorado County, according to the county’s elections department. There is one center each in Cameron Park, Placerville, South Lake Tahoe, El Dorado Hills, Greenwood and Somerset.
The Greenwood location was moved from the California Conservation Corps to the Greenwood Fire Station because the CCC is still hosting wildfire evacuees, according to Bill O’Neill, the registrar of voters for El Dorado County.
El Dorado County residents can vote at any of the locations, and any firefighters or emergency responders can go to any vote center — regardless of what county they’re from — to receive a provisional ballot that election officials will mail to their home county, O’Neill said.
“I encourage any evacuated voter who didn’t receive their ballot or hasn’t had the opportunity to vote yet to please get to a vote center, we can absolutely get them a ballot,” O’Neill said.
Here’s where to vote:
- Cameron Park Community Services District, 2502 Country Club Dr Cameron Park, CA 95682
- Placerville Library, 345 Fair Ln Placerville, CA 95667
- Lake Tahoe Community College, 1 College Dr South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150
- El Dorado Hills Library, 7455 Silva Pkwy El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
- Greenwood Fire Station, 3813 State Hwy 93 Greenwood, CA 95635
- Pioneer Park Community Center, 6740 Fairplay Rd Somerset, CA 95684
Yolo County
Yolo County has 13 vote centers spread throughout the county.
- UC Davis Memorial Union- Garrison Room 212, 225 E. Quad Davis, CA 95616
- Veterans Memorial Center- Multipurpose Rm., 203 E. 14th St Davis, CA 95616
- Montgomery Elementary School- Multipurpose Rm., 1441 Danbury St Davis, CA 95618
- Emerson Junior High School- Indoor Commons Rm. 1, 2121 Calaveras Avenue Davis, CA 95616
- Esparto High School- Gymnasium, 26675 Plainfield St Esparto, CA 95627
- Bridgeway Lakes Boathouse, 3650 Southport Pkwy West Sacramento, CA 95691
- Washington Unified School District Office- Multipurpose Rm., 930 Westacre Rd West Sacramento, CA 95691
- Bryte Career and College Training – Bryte Café- Multipurpose Rm., 637 Todhunter Avenue West Sacramento, CA 95605
- Public Safety Facility-EOC Training Rm., 702 W. Main Street Winters, CA 95694
- Yolo County Administration Building- Room 106, 625 Court St, Woodland, CA 95695
- Woodland High School- Gymnasium, 21 N. West St Woodland, CA 95695
- Pioneer High School-Cafeteria, 1400 Pioneer Ave. Woodland, CA 95776
- Woodland Community and Senior Center-Ballroom 3, 2001 East Street Woodland, CA 95776
Placer County
Placer County uses traditional polling places, so voters are assigned a specific destination at which they must vote if they choose not to send in their ballot by mail. There are 129 polling places in the county, and voters received a voter information guide in the mail describing which polling place they should use. Placer voters can also look up their polling place online.
Ryan Ronco, the Placer County county clerk and registrar of voters, said that because Placer mailed everyone ballots, in order to vote in-person, you need to bring your vote-by-mail ballot and envelope to the polling place and surrender it in order to receive a polling place ballot. Anyone who needs help locating their polling place can also call (530) 886-5650.
COVID rules for voting
Masks are encouraged in most counties and are required in Sacramento County. Haynes said the county will not turn away individuals who refuse to wear face masks, but will ask those individuals to wait while voting centers can make accommodations such that unmasked voters can cast their ballots distanced from others.
El Dorado County is allowing fully vaccinated individuals to vote without wearing face masks but asks that unvaccinated voters wear masks. O’Neill said anyone refusing to wear a mask can vote outside; a vote center worker will bring out a ballot and the voter will deposit the ballot in the drop box outside, he said.
In Yolo County, anyone visiting or working at a voter assistance center must wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status. The county will offer curbside voting for anyone who will not wear a mask.
Ronco said Placer County is strongly encouraging unvaccinated individuals to wear masks, and polling places will have masks for anyone who forgets. Fully vaccinated individuals don’t need to wear masks. Placer County also offers curbside voting.
Same day registration
California offers same day voter registration: eligible citizens who need to register or re-register can vote via a Conditional Voter Registration ballot at their county elections office, polling place or vote center, according to the California Secretary of State. Once officials complete the voter registration verification process, your same day registrant ballot will be counted.
Protect your privacy
California allows poll watchers to observe the voting process. County election officials said election inspectors are trained and prepared to help manage poll watchers to balance the need to give individuals the ability to monitor the process without infringing upon the privacy of voters.
Officials said voters who feel as though their privacy may have been intruded upon by a poll watcher should talk to the election inspector at their vote center or polling place.
Mila Jasper is an engagement reporter for The Sacramento Bee. A former Bee intern, Mila also previously reported on information technology for Nextgov. She is a graduate of Northwestern University.