The Clerk Chronicles: 2024 Palo Alto Municipal Election Details

Published in

PaloAltoConnect

6 min readSep 18, 2024

A Series from the Palo Alto City Clerk, Mahealani Ah Yun

Today, September 17, is National Voter Registration Day and this update in our series shares details about the 2024 Palo Alto Municipal Election. Election Day is November 5. Stay informed and take the first step of registering to vote or checking your registration status. Read on to gain key details on voting methods, important deadlines, local voting centers, and what to expect on the Municipal ballot.

Register to Vote

Make sure you’re registered to vote! Check your registration and/or register to vote with the California Secretary of State. The deadline to register is October 21, 2024. Conditional voter registration is available at vote centers up to and including on Election Day.

How to Vote in Palo Alto

Palo Alto voters have several options for casting their ballots in the 2024 election. Starting with the March 2024 Primary Election, all registered voters in Santa Clara County will receive a vote by mail ballot.

Vote by Mail

NOTE: No postage is required for ballots sent by mail within Santa Clara County.

Ballots Mailed: Ballots will be mailed to all registered voters beginning Monday, October 7, 2024.
Replacement Ballot: If you lose or destroy your original Vote-by-Mail ballot, you may request a replacement through the Registrar of Voters before October 29.
Returning Your Ballot: Vote-by-Mail ballots can be returned by mail, at a ballot drop-off location, or at a vote center.
Last Day to Postmark Your Ballot: The final day to postmark your mail-in ballot is November 5, 2024, and ballots must be received by November 12, 2024. Be sure to drop it in the mail with enough time to avoid postal delays. Ballots must be postmarked on or before election day to ensure eligibility of counted votes.
Ballot Tracking: You can track when your Vote-by-Mail ballot is mailed, received, and counted through the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters.

If you don’t typically vote-by-mail or are not sure, verify and update your preferences at voterstatus.sos.ca.gov.

Vote at a Center

If you prefer to vote in person or need assistance, several vote centers will be available throughout Palo Alto and Santa Clara County. Vote centers provide services like voter registration, accessible voting machines, and ballot drop-off. Voters may cast their ballot in-person at any vote center in the County instead of being assigned to a single polling location. Vote Centers open several days before Election Day to make voting as convenient as possible.

If you wish to vote at the Vote Center, please bring your Vote-by-Mail ballot with you to exchange it for an in-person ballot. If you do not bring your Vote-by-Mail ballot, you may be given a provisional ballot, which will be counted once the Registrar of Voters confirms that you have not already voted.

Vote Center Services

Vote in-person
Drop off the 2024 Ballot
Vote using an accessible voting machine
Get help and voting material in multiple languages
Register to vote or update voter registration

Palo Alto Vote Center Locations

Palo Alto Art Center Auditorium, 1313 Newell Rd.
Ventura Community Center — Activity Center, 3990 Ventura Ct.
Mitchell Park Community Center — El Palo Alto Room, 3700 Middlefield Rd.
Palo Alto Buddhist Temple — Issei Hall, 2751 Louis Rd.
Barron Park Elementary School — Music Room 19, 800 Barron Ave.
Palo Alto Elks Lodge — Ballroom, 4249 El Camino Real

Vote Center Hours

Some Vote Centers open 11 days before Election Day, and others are open 4 days before Election Day.

Palo Alto Art Center and Ventura Community Center Vote Centers are open October 26 — November 4, from 9 a.m. — 5 p.m., and on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
All other Palo Alto Vote Centers are open November 2 — November 4, 9 a.m. — 5 p.m., and on Election Day, 7 a.m. — 8 p.m.
On Election Day, November 5, 2024 all vote centers and Registrar of Voters offices are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. to drop off your ballot or vote in person.

For a full list of Vote Centers locations and hours across Santa Clara County, including Palo Alto, visit the Registrar of Voters website.

Ballot Drop-Off Locations

Secure ballot drop boxes are available for voters who want to hand-deliver their ballots without entering a vote center. These drop boxes are available 24/7 from October 7, 2024 until 8 p.m. on November 5, 2024 (Election Day).

Palo Alto Drop Box Locations

Palo Alto City Hall (Outside Front Entrance Drop Box), 250 Hamilton Ave.
Palo Alto High School (Outside Drop Box, El Camino Entrance in front of the Tower Building), 50 Embarcadero
Mitchell Park Library (Outside Front Entrance Drop Box), 3700 Middlefield Rd.
Rinconada Branch Library (Outside Front Entrance Drop Box), 1213 Newell Rd.

For your ballot to be counted, it must be dropped off by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

For a full list of ballot drop dox across Santa Clara County, including Palo Alto, visit the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters website.

Important Dates

October 7, 2024: Ballots mailed to all registered voters
October 7, 2024: Early voting begins at the Registrar of Voters office Monday — Friday 8 a.m. — 5 p.m.
October 21, 2024: Last day to register to vote
October 26, 2024: 11-day Vote Centers open
October 29, 2024: Last day to request a replacement mail-in ballot
November 2, 2024: 4-day Vote Centers open
November 5, 2024 — Election Day: All Vote Centers open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Stay Informed

The 2024 election is an important opportunity for Palo Alto residents to help shape the future. Whether voting by mail, at a vote center, or using a drop-off location, make sure to cast your ballot on time to be counted.

Find more details from the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters or the City of Palo Alto election information page.

Palo Alto Municipal Election

The City Clerk is the Election Official for the City of Palo Alto and administers all municipal elections for the City. Four City Council seats are up for election. Council Members are elected at-large and serve staggering four year terms. Two incumbents are eligible for re-election.

The City Council advanced conceptual plans for a proposed transit connection by taking formal steps on June 10, 2024 toward undedicating a portion of El Camino Park for the project’s implementation, including adopting legislation needed to place a ballot measure on the November 2024 election to repurpose a specified area of the park for the transit connection. A majority vote of Palo Alto registered voters is required to pass.

Ballot question D reads:

Municipal Code Amendment (Discontinuance of the Use of a Portion of Park Land at El Camino Park)
To reduce traffic congestion and travel time for transit riders, shall the measure undedicating a 0.33-acre portion of existing parkland in El Camino Park for the purpose of creating a new road primarily for transit vehicles linking the Palo Alto Transit Center with El Camino Real, be adopted?

Additional resources about the ballot question, including arguments and impartial analysis may be found on the City’s ballot measure page. Visit the City’s Quarry Road Transit Connection at El Camino Park project page.