What you should know about California’s next special election on Nov. 4

California voters will decide by Nov. 4 whether to approve Proposition 50, which proposes to temporarily sideline California’s independent redistricting committee and remap congressional districts lines until 2030.

Merced is one of a handful of counties that would remain untouched whether or not Prop 50 passes, but the district lines would be redrawn in nearby counties including Fresno and Madera.

This is the only proposition on the ballot for Merced County voters. Melvin Levey, registrar of voters for Merced County said mail-in ballots will be sent out to voters beginning Oct. 6.

How to cast your vote

Every registered voter in the county will receive a mail-in ballot for the special election, along with a voter guide and sample ballot.

Ballots can be cast in one of three ways:

Returned by mail through the US Postal Service. Ballots must be postmarked no later than Nov. 4 and will be counted as long as they arrive no later than seven days later.

Dropped off at any of the five polling stations in Merced County. Polling stations will be: at the Atwater Community Center in Atwater, Los Banos Community Center in Los Banos, American Legion Post 83 Main Hall and Merced College Public Safety Center Building #1 in Merced, and Shattuck Community Hall in Delhi. Ballots also can be dropped off at the registrar’s office at 2222 M St..

Dropped in any of the official county drop boxes. Drop box hours vary by location and all of the locations and hours of operation are listed on the Registrar’s website.

You can also vote in-person at any of the five polling stations. The Atwater Community Center, Los Banos Community Center, and American Legion Post 83 Main Hall will be open for 11 days beginning on Oct. 25. The other two voting locations will open Nov. 1. All polling stations will close at 8pm on Nov. 4.

Oct. 20 is the registration deadline to vote in this election. You can register to vote online through the Secretary of State office website. For those looking to register in person, you can do so by visiting the Registrar of Voter’s office on M Street.

In order to register you need a valid social security number or driver’s license that shows you are at least 18 years old, that you are a US citizen, and that you are a resident of Merced County.

If you are unable to register to vote by Oct. 20, you can still cast a provisional ballot by going to one of the five polling locations in-person. Provisional ballots are checked to ensure that the voter has not voted in this or another county election and that the ballot is eligible before they are counted.

“This legislation passed in late August,” said Levey, so “the timeline is about as tight…as we can kind of logistically manage.” He said his office has been hard at work to make sure ballots get printed and delivered to every voter, that voting centers are reserved and that staff are trained and ready to go.

According to Levey, one concern he’s heard from Mercedians is the cost of administering this election. He says, “in good news for the county general fund,” the state of California asked every county to estimate the cost of the election and will be “preimbursing” counties based on their estimated budgets. His office estimated that this election will cost just under $1.4 million.