AD-18 Special Election Ends August 31st!
Since Rob Bonta was appointed to serve as California’s new Attorney General, voters in Assembly District 18 have had a chance to participate in a special election ending August 31st to vote on who will replace him as the representative of most of Oakland, San Leandro, and Alameda. The winner of this special election will be elected to finish the term of our former Assemblymember, and will get a chance to run for re-election next year in the standard 2022 election cycle.
The 18th Assembly District
Find your district here.
After the July primary, two candidates have made it into the runoff: Mia Bonta and Janani Ramachandran. Both candidates should appear on mail in ballots that arrived in voter’s mailboxes this week and whoever reaches the majority of votes will become our next Assemblymember.
My office has acquired the following guidance from the Alameda Department of Elections to better help you understand this election. Special elections like these tend to have very low voter turnout, so please encourage your networks to vote!
How to Vote:
Registered voters should have received a ballot in the mail this week and are encouraged to fill it out and mail it back before . No postage is necessary, just make sure you sign and date your envelope before sealing it off and sending it out.
Additionally, you can drop your ballot off at a registered drop box location which will be open 24 hours a day from now until 8ppm on election day.
Click here for drop box map lookup!
Many people still prefer to vote in person or drop off their ballot at a polling location, and you can find regular and early polling locations here. *Please continue to follow COVID-19 health guidance and wear a mask if you are voting in person!*
If you choose to mail in or drop off your ballot, you can check its status here to ensure it arrives, is counted, and is tallied.
If you need to replace a ballot whether it was damaged, lost, or even if you made a mistake or changed your mind you can request a new one to be mail to you here, or take advantage of ballot pickup here.
This election is facilitated by the county and state in partnership with local jurisdictions, so if you have additional questions please contact the Alameda County Department of Elections!
The Candidates:
Mia Bonta and Janani Ramachandran both finished in the top two during last month’s primary and will be competing for the majority of votes in this August 31st runoff. You can use the nonprofit Voter's Edge to learn more about each candidate.
Mia Bonta (Top) and Janani Ramachandran (Bottom)
You can find out more and hear from both candidates at the upcoming League of Women’s Voters forum next Monday, August 9th from 7pm - 8pm. The League of Women Voters often hosts unbiased forums simply to provide the public with more information. I strongly encourage anyone who is uncertain about who to support to watch.
Assembly District 18 Run-off Election
Zoom Candidate Forum Sponsored by
Oakland/Eden Area League of Women Voters
Monday, August 9, 7-8 pm
Register Here or Livestream through KTOP
Also available on Comcast cable 10, HD 1074; and AT&T u-Verse 99
Registered voters in Alameda, parts of Oakland and San Leandro
(previously represented by Rob Bonta) can vote in the August 31 run-off election.
Upcoming Recall Election:
Following the submission of a qualifying number of signatures, the election to decide whether or not to recall Governor Gavin Newsom will end on September 14, 2021. Much like the Assembly election, all registered voters will receive a ballot in the mail and can decide to mail it back, drop it off, or vote in person. The ballot will include two questions: one asking if you support the recall and the other asking you to choose your preferred candidate IF the recall gets a majority of “yes” votes.
My office will send out a more detailed email as we get closer to this race, but you can read more details about it here.
And let’s work together to ensure as many voters turnout as possible by sharing this election information as far as you can!