Castro Valley, California Public Records

Because Castro Valley, Alameda County, California remains unincorporated, residents don't vote for city council members or mayors. Instead, they participate in elections for the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, most of the community falls within District 2, though portions lie in District 1. Voters also elect California State Assembly and Senate representatives, U.S. Congressional representatives (the area spans portions of California's 14th and 15th Congressional Districts), and statewide offices. California residents can register to vote online at registertovote.ca.gov, the official portal managed by the California Secretary of State. Traditional registration closes 15 days before an election, though California offers Same Day Conditional Voter Registration at vote centers through Election Day itself. To register, residents must be U.S. Citizens, at least 18 years old by Election Day, and not currently serving a state or federal prison term for a felony conviction. Online registration requires a California driver's license or ID number, or the last four digits of a Social Security number. Voters can update their registration to reflect address changes, party preference changes, or name changes through the same portal. Municipal elections don't occur in Castro Valley since it lacks incorporated city status. Local governance comes from the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, various special districts including the Castro Valley Sanitary District, Eden Area Regional Occupational Program, and Castro Valley Unified School District, plus community advisory councils. The Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) consists of appointed volunteers who advise the Board of Supervisors on local land use and community matters, but MAC members are not elected officials. Candidate information, ballot measures, and local election details are available through the Alameda County Registrar's website. Residents can find their assigned vote center using the polling place lookup tool at www.acgov.org/rov or the statewide tool at www.sos.ca.gov/elections/polling-place. Alameda County has transitioned to the Voter's Choice Act model, replacing assigned precinct polling places with vote centers that any county voter can use during the early voting period (beginning 10 days before Election Day) or on Election Day itself. Vote centers maintain extended hours including weekends. California provides public access to election records. Voter registration information, excluding confidential data like birthdates and driver's license numbers, is available for purchase for political purposes. Campaign finance records are accessible through the California Fair Political Practices Commission at www.fppc.ca.gov for state candidates and through the Alameda County Registrar for local candidates. Candidate filing documents, statements of economic interest (Form 700), and ballot measure materials are all public records. Precinct-level election results are published by the Alameda County Registrar following each election at www.acgov.org/rov/election-results, showing vote counts by precinct, voting method (vote-by-mail, early voting, Election Day), and contest The county strongly favored Democratic candidates, consistent with historical voting patterns across the Bay Area. No U.S.State legislative races will include California State Senate and Assembly seats representing the area. Locally, voters will elect the Alameda County Supervisor for District 2 (which includes most of Castro Valley), judges for Alameda County Superior Court, the Alameda County Board of Education, and trustees for the Castro Valley Unified School District and Chabot-Las Positas Community College District. The ballot may also include county measures, special district measures, and state propositions. California is a universal vote-by-mail state; all registered voters automatically receive a vote-by-mail ballot for every election, mailed approximately 29 days before Election Day. Voters can return ballots by mail (no postage required if mailed within California; must be postmarked by Election Day and received within 7 days), at any official ballot drop box throughout Alameda County (available 24/7 until 8 PM on Election Day), or at any vote center. Voters can also surrender their mail ballot and vote in person at a vote center if they prefer. California provides ballot tracking through the Where's My Ballot system at wheresmyballot.sos.ca.gov, sending notifications when a ballot is mailed, received, and counted.