November 5, 2024, General Election
Basic Timeline
Disclaimer: The dates listed below are not guaranteed to be correct and are still subject to change, particularly if new legislation is passed.
For most (but not all) dates that fall on a Saturday, Sunday, or county holiday, use the next regular business day for transactions. County holidays during this period include:
- July 4, 2024 - Independence Day
- Sept. 2, 2024 - Labor Day
- Nov. 11, 2024 - Veterans Day
- Nov. 28, 2024 - Thanksgiving
- Nov. 29, 2024 - Day After Thanksgiving
| Date(s) | Event |
|---|---|
| Ongoing | Local measure letter assignments (in order measures are filed) |
| 7/3/24 | Notification deadline for special districts |
| 7/5/24 | Specifications deadline for school districts |
| 7/15/24 | Candidate nominations filing period opens |
| 7/15/24-8/9/24 | Candidate nominations filing period |
| 8/9/24 | Candidate nominations filing period closes |
| 8/9/24 | Consolidation deadline |
| 8/9/24 | Deadline for governing bodies to submit measures |
| 8/9/24 | Tax rate statement deadline (bond measures only) |
| 8/12/24 | Extension period for candidate nominations opens (only applies to offices with an incumbent who did not file for re-election by the close of the standard candidate nominations filing period) |
| 8/12/24-8/14/24 | Extension period for candidate nominations (only applies to offices with an incumbent who did not file for re-election by the close of the standard candidate nominations filing period) |
| 8/14/24 | Extension period for candidate nominations closes (only applies to offices with an incumbent who did not file for re-election by the close of the standard candidate nominations filing period) |
| 8/14/24 | Deadline to amend/withdraw measures |
| 8/15/24 | Random alphabet drawing |
| 8/16/24 | Argument deadline |
| 8/16/24 | Impartial analysis deadline |
| 8/23/24 | Rebuttal deadline (only if opposing arguments are filed) |
| 9/9/24 | Write-in period opens |
| 9/9/24-10/22/24 | Write-in period |
| 9/21/24* | Deadline to send ballots to currently registered military/overseas voters* |
| 9/26/24 | Target date to begin mailing County Voter Information Guides |
| 10/7/24 | Voting by mail opens; first day voters can pick up Vote-by-Mail ballots at the Registrar of Voters Office |
| 10/7/24 | First day Registrar of Voters may begin to process Vote-by-Mail ballots |
| 10/8/24 | Official Ballot Drop Boxes open |
| 10/8/24-11/5/24 | Official Ballot Drop Boxes are open daily 24/7 until 8 p.m. on Election Day |
| 10/21/24 | Standard voter registration deadline |
| 10/22/24 | Write-in period ends |
| 10/22/24 | Conditional (a.k.a. “same day”) voter registration period opens |
| 10/22/24-11/5/24 | Conditional (a.k.a. “same day”) voter registration period available until 8 p.m. on Election Day |
| 10/26/24-11/4/24 | 11-day Vote Centers are open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| 10/29/24 | Last day to request a ballot be mailed |
| 11/2/24-11/4/24 | 4-Day Vote Centers are open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| 11/5/24 | Election Day: ALL Vote Centers (both 11-Day and 4-Day) are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| 11/5/24 | Official Ballot Drop Boxes close at 8 p.m. |
| 11/5/24 | Conditional (a.k.a. “same day”) voter registration period closes at 8 p.m. |
| 11/12/24 | Vote-by-Mail ballots which are postmarked on or before Election Day must be received by this date in order to be counted |
| 12/2/24, 5 p.m.* | All signature verification statements are due at 5 p.m.* |
| 12/3/24 | First day to certify election results (except under very limited circumstances -- see California Elections Code § 15391(b)) |
| 12/3/24 | Deadline to transmit election results for presidential electors to SOS |
| 12/5/24 | Deadline to complete canvass and certify election results |
| 12/6/24 | Deadline to transmit copy of all election results to SOS |
*Unlike most dates that fall weekends or county holidays, these ones do not move to the next business day.
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