Voters in the Council district covering the UC Berkeley campus and five blocks south can vote now by mail and drop box or, starting April 6, in person at a vote center.
Eligible voters in District 7, which stretches from inside the UC Berkeley campus to five blocks south, have until April 16 at 8:00 pm to use a mail ballot to vote for their new City Councilmember.
Start by using the City's council district lookup tool or online map to see whether you are within District 7. Those in the district who registered to vote by April 1 will receive a mailed ballot and a postage-paid return envelope.
To vote, postmark your mailed ballot by April 16 or deliver it to the YWCA vote center or at a drop box by 8:00 pm that night. Drop boxes are available on campus near Sather Gate and downtown in front of 2180 Milvia Street.
You can still vote if you didn’t receive a ballot by mail, didn’t register to vote by April 1, or have a ballot that was lost or damaged: register and vote at the YWCA vote center or the Registrar of Voters office until 8:00 pm on election day.
As registered voters start receiving ballots in the mail this week, use the City elections page for official information about the District 7 election, including candidate statements and campaign finance reports.
Residents in District 4, which covers downtown and central Berkeley, will vote in a separate special election on May 28.
Vote by mail, drop box, or in person
Eligible voters in District 7 can vote by mail, drop box, or at a vote center.
To return your ballot by mail, postmark it by April 16. The return envelope is postage paid, so you do not need to add postage to mail your return envelope. Remember to sign the back of your return envelope – otherwise, your vote will not be counted.
You can also return your ballot at one of two drop boxes:
Ballot Drop Boxes
Open 24/7 from now until April 16 at 8:00 pm
- University of California Berkeley, between Sather Gate and Architects & Engineers Building
- Civic Center Building, 2180 Milvia Street
Starting April 6, you can also use a vote center to:
- Drop ballots off in person
- Register to vote if you missed the April 1 deadline
- Get a replacement ballot
Vote Center
YWCA Berkeley/Oakland, 2600 Bancroft Way
Open starting April 6:
- April 6 - April 15, 2024, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
- April 16 (Election Day), 7:00 am – 8:00 pm
Once you've submitted your ballot, you can sign up for Alameda County's Track My Ballot to get notified when your ballot has been received and counted.
Register to vote by April 1
U.S. citizens in District 7 at least 18 years old can register online or with paper applications available at any public library, the U.S. post office, DMV, or the City Clerk Department at 2180 Milvia Street. Paper applications must be postmarked or hand-delivered by 5:00 pm on Monday, April 1, to:
Alameda County Registrar of Voters
1225 Fallon Street, Room G1
Oakland, CA 94612
You're eligible to vote in the District 7 special election if you are:
- a United States citizen
- a resident of District 7 (use the City's council district lookup tool to check by address)
- 18 years or older on Election Day
- not currently in prison for a felony conviction
- not presently judged mentally incompetent to vote by a court of law
After the April 1 registration deadline, eligible citizens can still register and vote in person at the YWCA of Berkeley/Oakland vote center at 2600 Bancroft Way.
Avoid delay. To receive a convenient vote-by-mail ballot, register to vote online by April 1.
Official candidate information and results
In this District 7 special election, voters will elect their new representative on the Berkeley City Council to serve until November 2026. This will complete the term of Councilmember Rigel Robinson, who resigned in January.
Visit the City’s elections page for official information, including candidate statements and campaign finance reports. The Council race uses "ranked choice voting," which allows voters to mark their first through fifth choice candidates in order of preference and avoids a runoff election.
Election results will be published on the Alameda County Registrar of Voters website after polls close on April 16. Keep in mind that it will take some time for all ballots to be counted, possibly changing outcomes from election night until a final tally is determined.
Eligible voters in District 7, covering the UC Berkeley campus and five blocks south, should submit their ballots by U.S. mail, the drop boxes near Sather Gate or downtown, or at the YWCA vote center by April 16.
Links
- Register to vote (California Secretary of State)
- Alameda County Registrar of Voters
- Berkeley election information (City of Berkeley)
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