Understand Your Ballot

A ballot is the official document or electronic screen where you make your choices during an election. It lists the offices, candidates, and sometimes propositions or referendums you can vote on.

Your ballot depends on where you live. Federal and statewide offices (like U.S. President, Governor, or U.S. Senators) appear on everyone's ballot in the state, but local races (like city council or school board) only appear for voters who live in those jurisdictions.

Your voter registration address determines your districts. Election officials match your home address to district maps (for city, county, state, and federal offices) to ensure you get the correct ballot.

There will be items on your ballot that range from local ballot measures to state and federal candidates. Often, state and local elections affect our lives in a more personal and immediate way than federal elections.

You are not required to vote in every race on your ballot. This is called an "undervote" and is perfectly legal. Your ballot will still be counted for all races where you did make a selection. However, if you select more candidates than allowed in a race (an "overvote"), that particular race will not be counted.

Ballot measures and propositions are questions submitted to voters for approval or rejection. These can include constitutional amendments, bond measures, tax initiatives, or other policy questions. Voting "Yes" or "For" means you support the measure, while voting "No" or "Against" means you oppose it. The ballot will include a summary of each measure, but it's recommended to research these items before Election Day.

When you see "Vote for no more than X" (where X is a number), it means you can vote for up to that many candidates in that particular race, but not more. For example, in a school board race that says "Vote for no more than 3," you can vote for 1, 2, or 3 candidates. If you vote for more than the specified number, your votes for that race will not be counted (overvote).