Voting 2020: The Ballot - how you vote
Vote by Mail
On May 8, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order N-64-20, which, among other things, orders that a vote-by-mail ballot be mailed to each California voter, in addition to offering in-person voting locations. (This is so that people who wish to stay isolated at home will not have to go to a polling location to vote.)
The California Secretary of State's Vote by Mail page has further information.
Voting at a polling place and voting by mail
The California Secretary of State sends registered voters a Voter Information Guide and a Sample Ballot prior to the election. This sample ballot lists your polling place (where you will go if you want to vote in person) and provides a listing of what's on the ballot; the Voter Information Guide provides further information on what will be on the ballot. The Voter Information Guide will also be posted on the web. (The Voter Information Guide for the November 2020 election has not been finalized. The Secretary of State has a page for past Voter Information Guides, if you would like to see them.)
Many people do their research and mark up their Sample Ballot, then take it with them to the polling place to use it as a cheat sheet.
The ballot looks like this:
(You draw a line to join the two pieces of the arrow to indicate your vote.)
The first contests on the ballot will be the highest offices (this November you can vote for a President), then it moves on to state offices, county offices, then city offices. Then there will be the California propositions, at the end will be the local measures.
It's going to be a long ballot. Take it slow. There is no obligation to vote in every contest, if you know nothing about any of the candidates for judge or don't have an opinion on some of the propositions, you can leave those blank. It's not a test - you don't have to complete every item. Vote for the things you care about.
We're not entirely sure what the Post Office's situation will be on November 3. Many people will complete and send their ballots early.
There will be early in-person voting on the three days before the election: October 31, November 1 & 2.
The County Registrar has kept "My Gateway" for those who have registered so they can see their PERSONAL ballot on line.
If Voting is your interest you can observe by contacting the Registrar’s Office and be a paid poll worker, they will train you.