Millions of Bay Area ballots cast before Election Day polls open

Tuesday is Election Day! Polls in California officially opened at 7 a.m. and will close at 8 p.m.  

Bay Area voters are already off to a big start with millions of ballots cast across the regions before Tuesday morning.   

Alameda County

According to the Alameda County Registrar of Voters, more than 64 percent of all mail-in ballots issued had been returned before polls opened Tuesday morning. That comes out to 620,705 of the nearly 966,000 registered voters in all of Alameda County, according to election officials. 

For comparison, a total of 670,245 registered voters cast ballots in the 2016 presidential election, representing a more than 75 percent turnout. 

One hundred early voting locations were established around the county. The county is offering election updates directly by email or text message — people interested can subscribe for the service through the county’s election page. 

Contra Costa County 

There are currently 703,345 registered voters in Contra Costa County who were able to either return mail-in ballots or vote in person at 17 early voting sites. By Monday evening, 400,008 ballots had been received, including both mail-in and in-person early voters. 

Marin County

The Registrar of Voters does not post information about the number of ballots received on their elections website until after polls close Tuesday night. The elections department was unavailable by phone Monday afternoon, with a message citing a high volume of calls. However, the Patch confirmed with Registrar of Voters Lynda Roberts that 106,305 mail-in ballots had been received as of Thursday. 

According to election officials, there are 175,220 registered voters in Marin County. Results can be found shortly after polls close at the county’s General Election page.  

Napa County

KQED reported Monday afternoon that 61 percent of registered voters had already returned ballots and the registar is expecting an estimated 90 percent total turnout. The region also showed up in high numbers during the 2016 General Election with more than 82 percent of registered voters casting ballots. 

Tuesday’s election results will be posted beginning at 8:01 p.m.

San Francisco

The Department of Elections Director John Arntz said Monday morning that about 322,000 ballots have been received. That represents 62 percent of registered voters and that obviously does not include early in-person voting totals through Monday or mail-in ballots yet to be received. 

The city’s voter turnout record was 86 percent in 1904, according to Arntz, and officials anticipate the 2020 General Election turnout will meet or exceed that record. Election results will be posted after polls close on the department’s website. 

San Mateo County

The elections department said 292,154 ballots had been cast as of Monday at 4 p.m. — that’s 66 percent of the county’s 442,637 registered voters. The county will begin posting election results at 8:10 p.m. Tuesday night.

According to the county’s registrar, mail-in ballots postmarked by Tuesday will be counted if received no later than Nov. 20, mirroring Santa Clara County’s new 17-day policy.

The elections department allows voters the ability to check wait times at individual polling locations with the use of an interactive map. The West Orange Library poll station at 840 West Orange Avenue in South San Francisco is experiencing more than 50-minute lines, which is the longest wait time countywide.

Santa Clara County

The county announced Monday that mail-in ballots postmarked by Tuesday will be counted if received within 17 days of the election. The county offered 99 early voting locations. 

Election officials reported that as of Monday evening, 661,549 of 1,118,203 total ballots issued had been returned. 

The elections department will begin posting results after polls close at 8 p.m.

Solano County

Of the county’s 260,000 registered voters, nearly 204,000 requested mail-in ballots. About 134,000 mail-in ballots had been returned by close of business Monday, according to the election department breakdown. 

Sonoma County

About 65 percent of registered voters, or about 196,000, in Sonoma County had cast ballots by Monday morning, according to the registrar’s website. Results will be posted as they’re tabulated after 8 p.m. 

Voters can identify their polling locations by visiting the Secretary of State’s election website and can check on the status of their ballots by visiting california.ballottrax.net, which will lead to individual county tracking systems. People experiencing any suppression or intimidation at polls can call (866) OURVOTE for assistance.