Palo Alto, California Public Records

California residents can register online at https://registertovote.ca.gov, the Secretary of State's voter registration portal. To qualify, you must be a U.S. Citizen, California resident, at least 18 years old by election day, and not currently serving a state or federal prison term for a felony conviction. The state offers same-day conditional voter registration at vote centers during early voting and on Election Day. Mail registration must be completed 15 days before an election. Photo identification is not required at polling places, though first-time voters who registered by mail may need to provide identification. As an incorporated city, Palo Alto holds nonpartisan municipal elections for Mayor and City Council. The Mayor is elected at-large to a four-year term. Nine City Council members serve staggered four-year terms, with elections every two years for four or five seats. The next municipal election falls on November 4, 2025, when the Mayor and four Council seats will appear on the ballot. These elections are consolidated with statewide contests. The City Clerk's Office at 250 Hamilton Avenue (phone: 650-329-2571, website: https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/Departments/City-Clerk) maintains candidate information, local ballot measures, campaign finance filings, and election results for city races. Voters can locate their assigned vote center and ballot drop box using the county Registrar's online tool at https://www.sccvote.org/voter-lookup. Since 2020, Santa Clara County has operated under the Voter's Choice Act model, replacing traditional neighborhood polling places with larger vote centers that open for multiple days before Election Day. Residents can cast ballots at any vote center in Santa Clara County regardless of their home address. These centers typically open 10 days before Election Day. California's Elections Code treats voter registration information as public record with restrictions. Access is permitted for election, political, scholarly, journalistic, or governmental purposes, but commercial use is prohibited. Campaign finance records are fully public and can be searched through the City of Palo Alto's campaign disclosure database for local races and through the California Fair Political Practices Commission at https://www.fppc.ca.gov for state contests. Candidate nomination papers and ballot measure materials are public records kept by the appropriate election official. Precinct-level results are published by the Registrar and available at https://www.sccvote.org/results. In the November 2024 presidential election, Santa Clara County reported approximately 64% voter turnout among registered voters. Over 880,000 ballots were cast out of approximately 1.38 million registered voters. The county showed strong support for Democratic candidates, continuing historical voting patterns in this heavily Democratic jurisdiction. On November 3, 2026, voters in the city and county will decide several important races. The California gubernatorial election will be held as Governor Gavin Newsom's second term expires in January 2027. All statewide constitutional offices will be on the ballot including Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Controller, Treasurer, Insurance Commissioner, and Superintendent of Public Instruction. State Legislature seats will be contested, including the State Senate and State Assembly districts representing the area. At the Santa Clara County level, several Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors seats will be up for election, along with county constitutional offices such as Sheriff, District Attorney, and Assessor depending on term schedules. No U.S. Senate seat from California is scheduled for election in 2026, as both Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff have terms extending beyond 2026. Local voters may also decide ballot measures related to city taxes, land use, or governance. California operates as a universal vote-by-mail state where every registered voter automatically receives a ballot by mail beginning 29 days before each election. Voters may return mail ballots through U.S. Postal Service (postmarked by Election Day), at official ballot drop boxes located throughout Santa Clara County (available until 8:00 PM on Election Day), or at any vote center in Santa Clara County. In-person voting is also available at vote centers during early voting or on Election Day. To request a replacement ballot or update vote-by-mail preferences, contact the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters at 408-299-8683 or visit https://www.sccvote.org.