Santa Ana Election Day Voting Guide for Orange County
Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday in California, every active registered voter was mailed a ballot, and the Orange County Registrar of Voters is headquartered here in Santa Ana.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, and Santa Ana voters have a home-field advantage in understanding how Orange County elections work: the Orange County Registrar of Voters, the agency that runs elections for the whole county, is headquartered here in Santa Ana. Polls across California are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Pacific Time, and voters in line at closing time should stay in line and follow poll workers' directions.
Every active registered voter in California was mailed a ballot for this election, so many Santa Ana households have been able to vote for weeks. A mail ballot counts if it is postmarked by November 3 and received within seven days, or if it is hand-delivered to a vote center, a drop box or the Registrar's office by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Vote centers in Orange County also provide replacement ballots and in-person assistance.
For most voters, no photo identification is required at the polls. An exception can apply to some first-time voters who registered by mail, so those voters may want to bring identification just in case and ask a poll worker what is needed. Anyone who missed the regular registration deadline can still use conditional, or same-day, registration, available through Election Day at vote centers and county elections offices, and cast a provisional ballot that counts once eligibility is confirmed.
At the top of the ballot, California's open race for governor pits Xavier Becerra, a Democrat, against Steve Hilton, a Republican. Voters will also decide 14 statewide propositions, numbered 1 through 5 and 37 through 45. Reviewing the full ballot, including the local contests below the statewide races, before heading out is the simplest way to make voting quick and confident.
Because the Registrar's headquarters is in Santa Ana, local voters resolving a registration question, a missing ballot or a name change are close to the source. Going earlier in the day, when possible, helps avoid the evening rush at vote centers across the city.
