May 5 Special Election: Midnight Is Deadline To Register To Vote

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — The deadline to register to vote in the May 5 special consolidated district election is 11:59 p.m. Monday, April 20, for residents living in the Coast Life Support District and the Sonoma County Fire Protection District, according to a news release Monday from Deva Marie Proto, Sonoma County Clerk-Recorder-Assessor-Registrar of Voters.

The election is being conducted entirely by mail and only applies to those living in the aforementioned districts. Residents can register to vote online at Registertovote.ca.gov.

Residents in the Northern Sonoma County Fire Protection District are being asked to vote on Measure K, a special parcel tax to support the fire district. Formerly the Geyserville Fire Protection District, the Northern Sonoma County Fire Protection District encompasses more than 200 square miles in Northern Sonoma County, including the Alexander Valley, Chalk Hill, Dry Creek Valley, the Geysers, Geyserville, Knights Valley, Franz Valley and parts of unincorporated Healdsburg and Lake Sonoma.

The ballot question reads:

To reduce local fire risk, preserve public safety and ensure essential fire prevention, protection and emergency medical response is provided to our community, shall the Northern Sonoma County Fire Protection District Ordinance No. 19/20-0115-001 be adopted, a special tax, including $160/residential unit below 2,000 square feet, $200/residential unit of 2,000-3,500 square feet, and $240/residential unit over 3,500 square feet, raising approximately $650,000 annually until repealed, with annual audits, and all money staying local?

Residents in Coast Life Support District — north coastal Sonoma County — are being asked to vote on Measure J, a special tax to support the ambulance district.

The ballot question reads:

Shall the measure proposed by the Coast Life Support District to increase the current special tax rate to an amount not to exceed $61 per unit of benefit for emergency medical services and operating expenses of the District as set forth in the ordinance, providing $1,180,350 annually, until the tax is amended or repealed; and raising the appropriations limit of the District to permit spending of the revenue raised by the tax, be adopted?

To be eligible to register to vote, one must be a U.S. citizen, a California resident, at least 18 years old on or before Election Day, and not in prison or on parole for the conviction of a felony.

Voters who currently reside in one of the two aforementioned special districts but have recently moved, or have changed their name, should re-register by midnight Pacific Time tonight. In addition, postage-paid paper forms are available at many public and government offices including city halls, post offices, and the Sonoma County Registrar of Voters Office, 435 Fiscal Drive, Santa Rosa. Completed forms will be accepted if electronically submitted or postmarked by Monday, April 20.

Residents who miss the deadline still have the option to "conditionally" register and vote; please contact the Registrar of Voters Office for further details.

For more information about voter registration or other election matters, call the Sonoma County Registrar of Voters Office at 707-565-6800 (1-800-750-VOTE toll free) or email rov-info@sonoma-county.org. Persons requiring assistance through use of a TDD may call 707-565-6888.

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Registrar of Voters Office is temporarily closed to in-person visits, but the office can still be reached by phone or email Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (excluding holidays).