California Presidential General Election on Tuesday, November 8 2016 

California will hold an election for the 45th president of the United States on November 8, 2016. The winner of the 2016 presidential election will be sworn into office on January 20, 2017. Democratic and Republican primaries took place in California on June 7, 2016.

Hillary Clinton defeated Bernie Sanders in the California Democratic primary 56 to 43 percent. In California's Democratic primary, 475 pledged delegates were at stake, more than any other state in the 2016 Democratic nominating season. California's delegate haul represented almost 20 percentof the 2,383 delegates needed to secure the Democratic nomination and almost 12 percent of the 4,038 pledged delegates up for grabs in 2016. Polling from March, April, and May showed Hillary Clinton with a lead in California over rival Bernie Sanders ranging from two to 14 points. In 2008, Clinton won the state over Barack Obama 52 to 43 percent. California's pledged delegates were allocated on a proportional basis. California's seventy-three superdelegates are not required to adhere to the results of the June 7 primary election. As of June 7, 2016, 52 California superdelegates were known to have expressed their support for Clinton, while the support of 21 superdelegates was unknown. At the time, there were no known superdelegates from California supporting Sanders for the Democratic nomination. A full list of California superdelegates can be accessed here.

Donald Trump won the California Republican primary. A total of 172 pledged delegates were up for grabs. As with the Democrats, this was more than any other state in the 2016 Republican nominating season, representing 14 percent of the delegates needed to secure the Republican nomination and roughly 7 percent of the total number of pledged delegates at stake for the Republicans. Polling from March and April showed Donald Trump leading Ted Cruz by margins ranging from 16 points to one point. California's Republican delegates were allocated on a winner-take-all basis, meaning the candidate who won the plurality of the vote received all 172 delegates. You can read more about the allocation of Republican delegates in California here.

​November 8, 2016, General Election

Election Date:
​November 8, 2016, General Election
7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Voter Registration:
Online or Postmark by October 24, 2016

Vote-by-Mail-Ballot-Request:
Must arrive by November 1, 2016

Completed Ballots, Including Vote-by-Mail Ballots:
Personally delivered ballots: Must be delivered by close of polls on November 8, 2016;
Mailed ballots: Must be postmarked on or before November 8, 2016, and received by your county elections office no later than November 14, 2016.
Register To Vote - Deadline October 24, 2016
The deadline to register to vote in the November 8th General Election is Monday, October 24, 2016.  You can REGISTER TO VOTE online through the State of California's Secretary of State.

Voter Information

Ballot Measures

LOCAL MEASURES:

For Voters Registered in Santa Cruz County and to find out what's on your ballot visit the Santa Cruz County Elections Information.

PROSPECTIVE SANTA CRUZ CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES
The Candidate Nomination Period for the November 8, 2016 Presidential General election is July 18 - August 12, 2016.
Please contact Bren at 831-420-5038 for more information. Section 602 (Qualifications) of the City Charter states "A person shall be eligible to be nominated for, or to hold office as a member of the Council, only if such person is a registered qualified voter of this City, and shall have been for at least thirty (30) days next preceding nomination or appointment, a resident of the City of Santa Cruz, or of territory annexed thereto."
Additional information on the election process can be found by clicking on the link to the Candidate Information FAQ.

List of Prospective 2016 Candidates​
Prospective candidates who wish to run for City Councilmember in the upcoming November 8, 2016 election MUST do the following prior to campaigning (or can submit forms during the Nomination Period):
  1. File an FPPC Form 501. Prospective candidates can file their FPPC Form 501 anytime between now and the Nomination Period.
  2. After filing an FPPC Form 501, should a candidate begin to campaign and raise funds he/or she must also file an originally signed FPPC Form 410 with the Secretary of State (copy of the form to be submitted to Bren in the Clerk's office) within 10 days of receiving $2,000.  
Instructions for both forms are on the first page of each form. Please read the instructions carefully and thoroughly, and contact Bren should you have questions. Prospective candidates can mail or drop off their FPPC forms at City of Santa Cruz, 809 Center Street, Rm 9, Santa Cruz, CA 95060.

​Statement of Write-in Candidacy & Nomination Period is September 12 - October 25, 2016
During this period write-in candidates must file their Statement of Write-in Candidacy and Nomination Papers with the City official.