It’s Election Day. In Stanislaus County, here’s what voters need to know

It’s Election Day in California, and all voting centers in Stanislaus County will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

On the ballot in this primary election are legislative and congressional seats, county offices and supervisor races, and who should be the next governor of the Golden State.

It’s essentially too late for Stanislaus County residents to vote by mail, because ballots mailed here aren’t postmarked until they reach Sacramento. At this point, vote-by-mail ballots should be dropped off at the polls or a designated drop box.

There are nearly three dozen drop boxes throughout the county. The majority are in Modesto, but there are six in Turlock, three in Oakdale, two in Ceres, two in Riverbank, and one each in Hughson, Patterson, Waterford and Newman, along with one in each of the unincorporated communities of Denair, Empire, Salida and Crows Landing.

For residents who are eligible to vote but haven’t registered, it’s not too late. The California secretary of state’s website says, “Same Day Voter Registration, known as Conditional Voter Registration in state law, is a safety net for Californians who miss the deadline to register to vote or update their voter registration information for an election.”

And according to Stanvote.gov, the option is available at all voting locations and the Elections Office at 1021 I St., Suite 101, in downtown Modesto. “Most voters must go in person, but there’s an exception for military/overseas voters and individuals with disabilities,” the site says.

Races on the primary election ballot

At the state level, voters will choose who should be California’s next governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, treasurer, controller, superintendent of public instruction and insurance commissioner.

In Stanislaus County, the congressional races before voters are:

• 5th House District — Longtime Republican Rep. Tom McClintock is being challenged by three Democrats: Mike Barkley, Michael Masuda and Dan Stroud
• 9th House District — Incumbent Rep. Josh Harder faces four Republican challengers: John McBride, Parminder “Happy” Singh, Khalid Jeffrey Jafri and Martin “Vmann” Veprauskas.
• 13th House District — Incumbent Rep. Adam Gray faces two Republican challengers: Vinay Kruttiventi and Kevin Lincoln.

Three seats in the California Legislature are on the ballot:

• 4th Senate District — Democrat turned Republican Marie Alvarado-Gil, the incumbent, faces a challenger from within her party, Alexandra Duarte, and a Democratic contender, Jaron Brandon.
• 9th Assembly District — Incumbent Republican Heath Flora is challenged by Jim Shoemaker, Matthew Adams, Tami Nobriga, Brandon Owen and Michael Perez.
• 22nd Assembly District — Republican incumbent Assemblymember Juan Alanis is running unopposed.

In local races, Stanislaus County Supervisor Terry Withrow is unopposed as he seeks reelection to his District 3 seat, while in District 4, appointed incumbent Supervisor Mani Grewal faces Jennifer “Rally” Valenzuela.

And residents within the Salida Fire Protection District are being asked to approve Measure J, to meet the increased costs of providing services. Measure J would require landlords and homeowners to pay $126 for a multifamily home or $168 for a single-family home, per year, to raise $1.9 million annually.

For a complete list of Vote Center and ballot drop box locations, visit www.stanvote.gov.