Voting on Proposition 50 is under way in San Joaquin County and across California after election officials finished mailing out ballots Monday.
Backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, the proposition would temporarily gerrymander California’s congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterms, in response to gerrymandering by the Texas Legislature in June.
President Donald Trump had urged Texas lawmakers to undertake an unusually timed redrawing of their legislative maps to give Republicans an advantage in keeping control of Congress next year. Proposition 50 would aim to counter this edge by redrawing California’s maps.
But it would also suspend until 2030 congressional maps drawn by California’s nonpartisan redistricting commission, which voters passed in 2008.
Election Day is Nov. 4, but there are many avenues for ensuring you cast your ballot early. Below you’ll find a refresher on how to vote in San Joaquin County:
Make sure you’re registered to vote
If you’re not sure if you’re registered, you can check using California’s voter registration status website.
If you find that you’re not registered, there are multiple ways to do so. To register online, you can use California’s online voter registration application.
To fill out a paper application, you can have the San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters (ROV) mail you one by calling (209) 468-VOTE. Paper applications are also available at public libraries and U.S. post offices, according to the registrar.
Registration applications must be mailed or hand-delivered to the ROV by Oct. 20. The ROV’s Office is at 44 N. San Joaquin Street, Suite 350, Stockton, CA, 95201.
But if you missed the registration deadline, don’t worry. You can still participate in the Proposition 50 vote. Still go to the ROV’s office and register or register at the polls on Election Day. Election officials will simply verify your registration before processing and counting your ballot.
Find your ballot
In California, every voter is automatically mailed a ballot. The deadline for county election officials to send ballots out was Oct. 6. The San Joaquin County’s election officials sent them out on Oct. 2, according to Registrar of Voters Olivia Hale. Check your mail to see if your ballot has arrived.
You can confirm that the registrar has sent your ballot out using California’s ballot tracking system. You can also use the system to track your ballot as it returns to the registrar’s office and is counted.
If you didn’t receive your ballot, you can apply for a replacement by calling, emailing or visiting the registrar’s downtown Stockton office.
Cast your vote
To mail your ballot: Fill it out and seal it in the prepaid return envelope that was included when you received your ballot in the mail. Sign the outside of the return envelope, and mail it back. Be sure you’ve mailed it in time for it to be postmarked by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Drop off ballot before Election Day: You can drop your ballot at the ROV’s Office at 44 N. San Joaquin St. in downtown Stockton, or at one of San Joaquin County’s secure drop boxes. A list of San Joaquin County drop box locations can be found here.
Disabled voters can pull up to the ROV’s Office on North San Joaquin Street and call the office number to have an election worker come collect your ballot from your car, Hale said.
Drop off ballot on Election Day: Bring your ballot to a secure drop box, polling location or the ROV’s Office.
A list of San Joaquin County polls can be found by clicking the polling locations link on the registrar’s Current Election Information page. While officials recommend that you use your designated polling place — shown on the back of the County of San Joaquin Voter Information Guide local voters received in the mail — it’s not required, according to Hale.
If you go to the ROV’s Office, there will be an option for drive-up voting. Election officials will be outside so you can hand them your ballot from your vehicle.
Vote on Election Day: Go to a polling place on Nov. 4 to cast your ballot. Again, you can vote at any polling place. For those with disabilities, poll workers will be available to pick up your ballot from your vehicle outside the polling location.