Everyone should have received their ballots by now. Or you can vote early at City Hall, or at your polling place on Election day.

You are eligible to vote if you are a US citizen living in CA, 18 years or older, registered where you currently live, not currently serving a state or federal prison term for a felony conviction, and not currently found mentally incompetent to vote by a court.

I like using a black ball point pen to fill out my ballot, because it doesn’t bleed through the paper like a marker, and it’s easier to read than pencil. Fill in the ballot bubbles fully and avoid making check marks, or Xs as votes. You can vote anyway you want, and it will be counted because it’s your right. But abnormalities can slow down the counting process.

In San Francisco, if you make a mistake on your ballot, you can put an X on the mistake vote, or write “mistake” with an arrow to correct your ballot. Some other counties do not offer this courtesy. You can also go vote at your polling place, or at city hall instead of using your vote by mail ballot.

Writing in things like “Ceasefire now” or “Uncommitted” are meaningful messages that I respect, but CA only counts certified official candidates and certified write-in candidates. It’s more impactful to email your representatives or the president the same message. It’s your right to vote, and you can vote however you see fit.

Please vote! There is stuff on the ballot besides the presidential primaries, and primary elections are too often ignored.

I am a stranger on the internet, and do not speak for any organization or in an official capacity. I am a fallible human and you should verify anything stated here for yourself and not take it as fact.

SF Voter Portal: https://sfelections.org/tools/portal/

KQED How to correct a mistake on your ballot plus more stuff: https://www.kqed.org/news/11974391/i-made-a-mistake-on-my-ballot-how-to-fix-presidential-primary-california-election-2024

CA Secretary of State Primary Election webpage: https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/primary-elections-california

How to vote for Gaza ceasefire: https://calmatters.org/newsletter/california-democrats-gaza-biden/