Voting Basics

Vote by Mail

Every active registered voter in California is mailed a ballot no later than 29 days prior to an election for which they are eligible. Voters who registered or updated their registration just prior to or after that 29-day mark are mailed the ballot once the information is entered into the registration system.

Return by mail – must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by the Yolo County Elections Office no later than 7 days after Election Day. Make sure you check your local post office's hours of operation on Election Day.

Return in person – to our Elections Office or any voting location in California before 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.

For more information about voting by mail, click here.

Drop Off Your Ballot at a Ballot Drop Box

Drop your ballot into any official Ballot Drop Box in California no later than 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. The Ballot Drop Box link is maintained by the California Secretary of State.

Vote Early in Person

Our Elections Office will operate 13 Vote Centers spread throughout Yolo County for early and Election Day voting. Early voting is available:

• at three vote centers for ten days prior to Election Day from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• at ten additional vote centers for three days prior to Election Day, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• at our Mobile Vote Center on specified days in some Yolo County towns. The "Mobile Voter Center" page is applicable ONLY for the March 5, 2024 Presidential Primary Election and will be updated in the next election.

The Vote Center and Ballot Drop Box locations page contains information about Yolo County locations and times of operation. The "Vote Center and Ballot Drop Box" page is applicable ONLY for the March 5, 2024 Presidential Primary Election and will be updated in the next election. 

Please practice all safety protocols recommended by the Federal, State, and Local Health Officials if you are voting in person at a Voter Assistance Center.

Vote in Person on Election Day

All Vote Centers are open on Election Day:

Tuesday from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The next scheduled election is the Presidential Primary on March 5, 2024.

Please be aware that you may experience a wait time when voting in person on Election Day. The Yolo County Elections Office tracks wait times at Vote Centers and provides this helpful information: Wait Time (Only linked when the election is active with Vote Centers)

Write-in Candidates

A vote for a write-in candidate is only counted if the candidate has qualified for the ballot and is a "certified write-in candidate." The deadline for candidates to file nomination papers to become a certified write-in candidate is 14 days prior to Election Day.  The official certified list of write-in candidates will be available on the Yolo County Elections website and at any Yolo County Vote Center. Votes for characters like "Mickey Mouse" and others not on the Certified List of Write-in Candidates are not tabulated or reported in the election results.

The California Secretary of State website provides the Certified List of Write-in Candidates for state and federal contests at https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections.

The Yolo County Elections Office provides the Certified List of Write-in Candidates for local contests.

Understand your Ballot using Copies of Translated Ballots (Facsimile Translated Ballots)

Yolo County provides copies of ballots translated into Chinese, Korean, Punjabi, Russian, and Spanish. Voters can use the translated ballots as a reference for voting their official ballot. Copies of the translated ballots are available on this website, by mail upon request, and at Yolo County Vote Centers. 

Translations of the official ballots for Chinese (中文 – 複製選票), Korean (한국어 – 투표용지 복사본), Punjabi (ਪੰਜਾਬੀ– ਨਕਲ ਬੈਲਟ), Russian (русский – ФАКСИМИЛЬНЫЙ БЮЛЛЕТЕНЬ), and Spanish (Español – Boleta Facsímil)