The 2024 Presidential Primary Election is creeping closer — falling on Tuesday, March 5, to be exact — and we're here to prep you with the need-to-knows for this year's ballot.

Get registered

First things first, register to vote or check your status to make sure you can participate in the upcoming election. Play it safe and get this step done by Tuesday, Feb. 20.

Otherwise, you'll have to file same day registration in-person at a county elections office, polling place, or vote center. This means you won't be able to vote by mail.

Identify your district

Your ballot depends on which district you're voting in. Not sure which district you are? You can check your district and official ballot with Sacramento County. You have to be registered to vote in Sacramento County for this to work.

To register online, you will need three things:

Your California driver license or California identification card number
The last four digits of your social security number
Your date of birth

Important dates

It's easy to miss a deadline, so we've compiled a timeline here that you can stick with:

Jan. 25–Feb. 24 — During this period, a County Voter Information Guide will be mailed to every registered voter (unless the voter has opted to receive the guide electronically.
Feb. 5 — Vote-by-mail ballots are mailed to all voters + ballot drop-off locations open.
Feb. 20 — This is the deadline to register to vote, except for same day registrations in-person.
Feb. 24 — The first opening day for vote centers, but not all will be available yet. Check this map for open locations as the date approaches.
March 5 — Election Day, all vote centers will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Mail-in ballots must be postmarked on or before this date.
April 4 — This is the deadline for offices to certify election results.

Vote-by-mail

On Monday, Feb. 5, you should receive your vote-by-mail ballots. By then, ballot drop-off locations will be fully operational. To find a drop-off location near you, you can reference this complete list, alphabetized by city name or Sacramento zip code.

Want to hand deliver your ballot? You'll have to wait until Saturday, Feb. 24 to bring it to one of Sacramento's listed Vote Centers.

On the ballot

The following local positions are up for election, with numbers indicating specific districts or areas:

United States Representative: Districts 3, 6, 7
State Senator: District 3
Member of the State Assembly: Districts 6, 7, 9, 10, 11
Democratic, Republican, and Peace and Freedom Party County Committees: Districts 1-5
Sacramento County Board of Education: Areas 4-7
Twin Rivers Unified School District Board of Education: Areas 1, 3, 5, 7
County Board of Supervisors: Districts 3 and 4
Mayor of Sacramento
City Council: Districts 2, 4, 6, 8

Individual candidate information can be found on the city's website.

Accommodations

If you are a military or overseas voter, or if you are a voter with disabilities, you can reach out to your county elections office for extra voting options.

Vote centers offer a variety of language assistance — check the full list's key at the top to find which locations can support your language needs.