The Mendocino County Elections Office, officially the Mendocino County Registrar of Voters, serves voters throughout Navarro and the rest of the county from its office at 501 Low Gap Road, Room 1020, Ukiah, CA 95482, phone (707) 234-6819, website www.mendocinocounty.org/government/registrar-of-voters. This office administers all federal, state, county, and special district elections, handling voter registration, ballot preparation, polling place coordination, vote-by-mail processing, and certification of results.
Regular hours run Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with extended hours before major elections. Residents register to vote online through the California Secretary of State's website at registertovote.ca.gov, which connects directly with county systems. California offers same-day conditional voter registration, allowing eligible citizens to register and vote through Election Day at designated locations. Registration requires a California driver's license or ID number, or the last four digits of a Social Security number, plus a residential address. The standard registration deadline falls 15 days before Election Day, though conditional registration extends through Election Day itself. As an unincorporated community, Navarro has no municipal government, meaning no city council, mayor, or local ballot measures specific to the area. Instead, residents vote in Mendocino County Supervisor elections for District 5, which covers coastal and southern portions of Mendocino County. These supervisor elections occur during gubernatorial election years, most recently 2022, next in 2026, with four-year terms. Local voters also participate in Anderson Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees elections, which govern schools serving the area. Polling place assignments are determined by precinct. Voters can check their assigned polling location, sample ballot, and registration status through the California Secretary of State's voter portal at voterstatus.sos.ca.gov by entering name and date of birth, or by contacting the Mendocino County elections office directly. In the November 2024 presidential election, Mendocino County reported approximately 52% voter turnout among registered voters, with mail-in ballots accounting for the vast majority of votes cast. County-wide results showed Democratic candidates receiving approximately 60-65% support in most partisan races, consistent with Mendocino County's progressive voting patterns. For the November 3, 2026 general election, Navarro and Mendocino County voters will decide several significant races. California does not have a U.S. Senate seat up in 2026 - the next Senate election is 2028 - but voters will elect the Governor of California, with incumbent Gavin Newsom term-limited and unable to run for re-election, making this an open gubernatorial race. State legislature seats, including the California State Senate District 2 and State Assembly District 2, which cover Mendocino County, will be on the ballot. At the Mendocino County level, several Mendocino County Supervisor seats will be contested, including District 5 representing Navarro, along with county offices such as Sheriff, District Attorney, Assessor-Clerk-Recorder, and Treasurer-Tax Collector, all with four-year terms. School board elections and various special district governing boards will also appear on ballots. California is a universal vote-by-mail state, meaning all registered voters automatically receive a vote-by-mail ballot at their registered address for every election, typically arriving 29 days before Election Day. Voters may return mail ballots by postal mail (postmarked by Election Day and received within 7 days), deposit them in official drop boxes located throughout Mendocino County, or deliver them in person to the Elections Office or any polling location on Election Day. Those who prefer to vote in person may do so at their assigned polling place or at a Vote Center during early voting periods. Election records that are public in California include voter registration lists (available to candidates and campaigns with restrictions on use), campaign finance disclosure reports filed with the California Fair Political Practices Commission and searchable at cal-access.sos.ca.gov, candidate statements and nomination papers filed with the Elections Office, and precinct-level election results published by the county after certification. Individual voter history, which elections a person voted in, but not how they voted, is public record, while actual ballot choices are confidential. Mendocino County posts certified election results on their elections website, typically broken down by precinct, allowing residents to see voting patterns for their immediate area.