Voters are encouraged to take advantage of the last few days of early voting ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, November 3; and be aware of new urgency legislation in California that may impact initial results reporting on Election Night.
(Ventura County) - Voters are encouraged to take advantage of the last few days of early voting ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, November 3, to avoid the last minute pressure and potentially long lines at vote centers on Election Day.
“People should think of Election Day as the LAST day to vote, not THE day to vote,” said Michelle Ascecncion, County Clerk-Recorder and Registrar of Voters.
“So many unforeseen things can happen – a rainstorm, a flat tire, an illness or accident – that can derail your plans to go vote on Election Day,” Ascencion continued. “VOTE EARLY and check it off your list of things to do!”
Vote Centers are open throughout Ventura County
“Vote centers are a great resource for in-person voters,” said Ascencion. ”Eleven vote centers across Ventura County opened October 24th, and the remaining 42 sites are opening this Saturday, October 31st. Voters can utilize any of the 53 vote centers for in-person voting, late registration, language assistance, ADA accommodations, voter information, and, of course, delivering their mail ballot.”
All vote centers are open 9:00 am to 5:00 pm daily, including weekends, and will be open 7:00 am to 8:00 pm on Election Day.
Last minute in-person voters may face a longer wait time
Although the vote centers officially close at 8:00 pm on Election Day, anyone in line by 8:00 pm will be given the opportunity to vote.
“If there are a lot of last-minute voters, the wait time to vote in person on Election Day could be long,” Ascencion said. “We want to encourage everyone to make voting as easy and hassle-free as possible: use your State and County Voter Guides to plan your ballot choices ahead of time. We want you to get your ‘I Voted’ sticker and back home as soon as possible!”
Ballot drop boxes are locked at 8:00 pm sharp on Election Day
Voters who prefer to use their vote by mail ballot can return their ballot in any of the 40 official Ventura County secure ballot drop boxes. Election worker teams safely retrieve and deliver drop box ballots back to the Elections Division every day under a strict chain of custody protocol.
“Anyone returning their mail ballot by drop box or vote center needs to remember to sign the return envelope and submit it no later than the 8:00 pm cutoff on Election Night,” Ascencion said. “Our teams lock the ballot drop boxes right at 8:00! Vote centers also stop accepting mail ballots and voter arrivals at 8:00 pm. Please don’t miss the deadline to cast your ballot!”
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USPS delays may cause you to miss ballot deadlines
The advice to vote early applies to ballots returned in the mail too. With Election Day only a week away, Ascencion advises voters not to mail their ballot at this point due to new USPS postmarking procedures.
“If you must mail your ballot, the only way to ensure a same day postmark is to physically walk your ballot the post office and ask for a manual postmark,” Ascencion said. “Voters will also need to take into consideration the time it takes for mail to be delivered. Any ballot that arrives after November 10th will not be counted.”
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Ballot status notifications
As a reminder, mail ballot voters who receive ballot status notifications should expect delayed confirmation receipts the closer it is to Election Day.
“If you’ve signed up for BallotTrax at wheresmyballot.sos.ca.gov, the earlier you return your ballot, the faster you’ll receive your confirmation email, text, or phone call,” Ascencion said. “But the closer we get to Election Day, the more ballots are coming in, and the longer it may take to get to yours, which makes the notification process slower – just another reason to vote early!”
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Election Night Tabulation Results
The 8:00 pm close of Election Night kicks of the start of compiling the initial results for the election. First results are expected to be posted between 8:30 and 9:00 pm, however, it is important to note that pursuant to California Elections Code §§ 407 and 15152, election results cannot be released if voting hours have been extended at any polling place in California due to a disruption or court order. Ventura County will publish its initial election results upon notification from the California Secretary of State that all polling places have closed and results may be released.
“This is a new requirement passed by Senate Bill 884 as urgency legislation in September,” Ascencion said. “We must now await the go-ahead from the Secretary of State’s office after they’ve confirmed that voting hours have not been disrupted, before we can post our initial results on Election Night. We want to make sure the public expects this potential delay with the posting of the first results.”
Assuming there is no delay, the anticipated election results posting schedule is as follows:
8:30 - 9:00 pm - Election Night Initial Results
10:30 - 11:00 pm - Update #1
12:30 - 1:00 am - Update #2
Final Posting (TBD) - Semifinal Official Election Night Results (closing report)
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Results will be posted at vote.venturacounty.gov, and up-to-the-minute notifications are added on Facebook, Instagram and X, @VCClerkRecorder. The initial results posted will include vote by mail ballots that were received and signature-verified before Election Day, and ballots cast in person during early voting at the vote centers. The updates are ongoing tabulations of the ballots cast in person on Election Day at the 53 vote center locations across the county including the Ventura County Government Center. Election Night results will not include vote by mail ballots submitted on Election Day.
Vote center ballot arrival times will vary depending on how many voters are still in line at 8:00 pm (the vote center cannot close until those voters have all been served); the location’s distance from the Elections Office at the Ventura County Government Center; and traffic or weather conditions.
Semifinal Official Election Night Results will be the final report of the night, completing the tabulation of Election Day in-person ballots. The final action from the Elections team for the night is to provide the final tally to the Secretary of State’s office.
The Election work continues with the Official Canvass beginning the day after Election Day. Post-election updates are scheduled to be posted by 5:00 pm on the following dates:
- Thursday, November 5
- Friday, November 6
- Monday, November 9
- Thursday, November 12
- Monday, November 16
- Thursday, November 19
- Monday, November 23
Ventura County is scheduled to certify the Gubernatorial General Election on Wednesday, November 25, time TBD, following the 5:00 pm signature cure deadline.
Voters needing assistance or information may call the Elections Division at 805-654-2664 or email elections@venturacounty.gov. Stay up to date on the latest election information by following @VCClerkRecorder on social media.
The Ventura County Clerk-Recorder & Registrar of Voters is committed to “Preserving history and protecting democracy for the people of Ventura County — past, present, and future.” More information about the agency’s services is available 24/7 at clerkrecorder.venturacounty.gov.