Petaluma, Sonoma County Voters Urged To Return Ballots Early

PETALUMA, CA — With a little over a week left before the Nov. 3 presidential election, Sonoma County Clerk-Recorder-Assessor-Registrar of Voters Deva Marie Proto encouraged voters in Petaluma and throughout the county to get their mail ballots in early.

"Many voters like knowing their ballots will be counted and included in the initial wave of election results released shortly after the polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day," Proto said. "Those results largely consist of Vote-by-Mail ballots that were returned early."

Proto reminded voters that before mailing or dropping off their ballots, they must sign and date the blue return envelope containing their voted ballot.

Here are three ways Vote-by-Mail voters can return their ballots in Petaluma and Sonoma County:

• By mail. No postage stamp is required. Ballots must be postmarked on or by Nov. 3, and can be received up to 17 days after Election Day in order to be counted.
• At one of 20 official ballot drop boxes. The secure boxes are accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Ballots must be deposited in the box by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3, in order to be counted. There are two official ballot drop boxes in Petaluma:
  • Petaluma Community Center, 320 N. McDowell Blvd.
  • Petaluma Veterans Memorial Building, 1094 Petaluma Blvd. South
  • See where the 18 other official ballot drop boxes are located in Sonoma County.
• At one of 30 in-person voting locations open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 31 -Nov. 2, and from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 3. Unlike previous elections, voters are not assigned to one location, and can vote at any in-person location. The voter will receive a ballot for their individual precinct. A metallic ballot box specifically for Vote-by-Mail ballots is near the entrance of each location, four of which are in Petaluma:
  • Petaluma Veterans Memorial Building, 1094 Petaluma Blvd. South
  • Petaluma Community Center, 320 N. McDowell Blvd.
  • Hermann Sons Hall, 860 Western Ave.
  • Sonoma County Office of Education – Headwaters, 1355 Industrial Ave.
  • See a list of all in-person voting locations in Sonoma County.

Questions? The Registrar of Voters Office can be reached by phone at 707-565-6800, by email at rov-info@sonoma-county.org, or in person from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at 435 Fiscal Drive in Santa Rosa.

On Election Day only, the Registrar of Voters Office is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.