County elections chief urges voters to cast ballots early

With California's Nov. 3 gubernatorial general election days away, Ventura County's top elections official has a simple message for Simi Valley residents: don't wait until Election Day to vote.

"People should think of Election Day as the last day to vote, not the day to vote," Michelle Ascencion, Ventura County clerk-recorder and registrar of voters, told the Simi Valley Acorn. "So many unforeseen things can happen — a rainstorm, a flat tire, an illness or accident — that can derail your plans to go vote on Election Day."

Her advice comes as the county completes the rollout of its full network of vote centers and as a new state law could delay the release of initial election night results. Here's what Simi Valley voters need to know before Tuesday.

All 53 vote centers now open

As of Oct. 31, all 53 of Ventura County's vote centers are open for in-person voting, with 42 additional locations joining the 11 that had been operating earlier. Under the Voter's Choice Act model, voters may use any vote center in the county — not just one near their home — to cast a ballot in person, register to vote, get language assistance or accommodations for disabilities, or return a completed mail ballot.

Vote centers are open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., including weekends. On Election Day, Nov. 3, hours expand to 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Anyone in line by 8 p.m. will still be allowed to vote, though Ascencion cautioned that last-minute voters could face lengthy waits.

Voters who prefer to return their mail ballots without visiting a vote center have 40 official secure drop boxes available throughout the county. Those boxes will be locked promptly at 8 p.m. on Nov. 3, the same deadline after which vote centers stop accepting mail ballots. Election officials remind voters to sign their ballot return envelopes — unsigned envelopes are a common reason ballots are flagged for review.

Don't mail it now, registrar warns

One of the most pointed warnings from Ascencion concerns the U.S. Postal Service. Because of changes in USPS postmarking procedures, she cautioned against mailing ballots this close to the election.

"If you must mail your ballot, the only way to ensure a same day postmark is to physically walk your ballot to the post office and ask for a manual postmark," she said, according to the Acorn.

Under state rules, mailed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received by Nov. 10 in order to be counted. A drop box or vote center, by contrast, guarantees the ballot makes it in before the deadline.

Voters can track the status of their mail ballots through the Secretary of State's BallotTrax service at wheresmyballot.sos.ca.gov. Ascencion noted that confirmation notices may take longer to appear as the volume of returned ballots increases in the final days.

Election night results could be delayed

Simi Valley residents staying up for results Tuesday night may need extra patience. A new state law, Senate Bill 884, passed as urgency legislation in September, requires counties to hold off releasing results if voting hours have been extended anywhere in California because of a disruption or court order.

"We must now await the go-ahead from the Secretary of State's office after they've confirmed that voting hours have not been disrupted, before we can post our initial results on Election Night," Ascencion said.

Assuming no delays, Ventura County expects to release its first results between 8:30 and 9 p.m. on Nov. 3, followed by updates between 10:30 and 11 p.m. and again between 12:30 and 1 a.m. on Nov. 4.

The first batch of results will include mail ballots received and signature-verified before Election Day, plus ballots cast during early in-person voting. Ballots cast in person on Election Day will appear in the subsequent reports, and mail ballots returned on Nov. 3 itself will not be included in election night totals at all.

Counting continues after Nov. 3

The count won't end on election night. The county has scheduled additional results releases for Nov. 5, 6, 9, 12, 16, 19 and 23, with certification of the election set for Nov. 25. That extended timeline is routine in California, where mail ballots received up to seven days after Election Day are counted, but it means close races — including the statewide gubernatorial contest at the top of the ticket — could remain unsettled for days or weeks.

For Simi Valley voters, the practical takeaway from the registrar's office is straightforward: vote early if you can, use a drop box or vote center rather than the mail, sign your envelope, and track your ballot online.

Full election results and voting information are available on the county's elections website at venturacounty.gov. Voters who need assistance can call the Ventura County Elections Division at 805-654-2664 or email [email protected].