When and how to vote in Stanislaus County for 2024 presidential, state and local elections

In partnership with 30 other newsrooms, the Modesto Bee is participating in Democracy Day, Sept. 15. The Bee is using the day to highlight our commitment to the importance of robust and free elections by providing information on how to register and vote in the the 2024 general election. To learn more, visit usdemocracyday.org .

With Election Day on Nov. 5 and debate season heating up, here’s what to know about voting in and around Modesto.

Clara Fass recently registered for the first time, but remains unsure she will vote.

“This is my first year voting,” Fass said. “I’m just trying to do more research.”

Donna Linder, Stanislaus County registrar of voters, often hears people say they feel like their vote doesn’t count, but she has a story for that.

“We’ve had school board races that are won by one vote,” she said.

Two years ago, a school board election in Turlock was determined by a single ballot. “In that school board race, that one vote was really important,” Linder said.

Who can vote

Citizens of the United States who are over the age of 18 on or before Election Day and who are not currently incarcerated for a felony conviction or deemed incompetent to vote can vote in the general election so long as they are registered.

How to register to vote

You can register to vote either in person or online up until Oct. 21 . Sixteen- and 17-year-olds can preregister and will be automatically registered when they turn 18.

For those who miss the deadline, they can still register by filling out a special form at the polls in person even on Election Day, using a yellow envelope provided by the county.

You can check your registration status by going online or visiting a vote center.

“What we do is we confirm you haven’t voted in any other county,” Linder said. “If you come into a vote center, they can look up your registration and see if we’ve already received your vote by mail. Sometimes people forget because we send them out so early.”

This may be especially useful for voters who turn 18 after Oct. 21 or for voters who recently became U.S. citizens.

Homeless individuals or people who live in rural areas with no formal address still are able to register to vote, they just need to let the county know where to find them.

“If they sleep at the corner of 10th and I, they can say, ‘10th and I,’ because you want to vote on your representation,” Linder said.

Vote by mail

For members of the military, ballots are already on their way so voters can receive and return them in time for Election Day.

For all other voters, mail-in ballots are being sent out Oct. 7 and are expected to arrive in mailboxes a few days later. As soon as they are received, they can be mailed back or dropped in one of Stanislaus County’s secure drop boxes to make it easier for voters to cast their ballots.

For those who take their time with their ballots, there is an option to drop off a vote-by–mail ballot anytime up to and including Election Day at any polling station.

Lacey Larue said she’s heard things about unreliability of voting by mail and has opted to go in person.

“I’ve just always done in-person and I don’t know if the mail would get to where it needs to go,” Larue said.

It’s this unease that Linder said she is trying to prevent. “My staff and I live here, so we’re very dedicated to making sure the elections are secure, safe and accurate for our voters because we are voters, too.” she said.

Linder stressed that her office has double-checks in all parts of the vote counting process, which include secured rooms, separate processes from counting, unfolding and even opening mail-in ballots.

For votes where there may be some ambiguity, Stanislaus County follows a voter intent adjudication process.

“In Stanislaus County, we take it one step further – we look for every undercount, too,” Linder said. “If you put a checkmark and it’s really close to the edge, it might not quite pick it up, so we double check and make sure we catch every vote.”

There are outward-facing screens viewable to everyone in the registrar’s office as well as for observers.

All materials sent by the county are printed in both Spanish and English. All drop boxes include Spanish, Khmer/Cambodian, Punjabi and Syriac/Assyrian.

Disabled voters have the option to use remote accessible vote by mail , for voters who would prefer to vote independently from their homes instead of with outside assistance.

In-person voting

Michelle Wallace said she plans to vote in person, but early. “Just so I know it gets in and gets done,” she said.

Residents can vote in person as early as Oct. 26 in one of six Stanislaus County vote centers. The rest of the 32 vote centers open for early voting starting on Nov. 2. Linder said the county added three vote centers in areas where in previous years they had lines.

Due to a new law , voters have the option to go to any of the 32 vote centers instead of having to identify a specific polling location.

Services for non-English speakers, people with disabilities

“Facsimile ballots” are copies of the original ballot but provided in languages other than English. These ballots are available in Spanish, Khmer, Punjabi and Syriac. For languages other than those, Linder said her office tries to have people at the polls who speak multiple languages, plus a phone language service to support voters who speak a language not represented.

For ADA accessibility at the polls, each station is equipped with devices that assist with contrast, button voting, and headsets for listening to voting options, which are available in English and Spanish. And sip-and-puff voting options assist those who have motor disabilities and/or limited dexterity.

Every voting location will have available curbside voting and a few of the sites will have a cart that can be pulled up to the car for ease of voting.

However you decide to vote, Linder said it’s important to remember how big of a difference each vote makes.

“Every vote is so impactful, especially in your local areas,” she said.