Walnut Creek voters have until Oct. 19 to register or update their registration online ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.

Contra Costa County must begin mailing ballots to every registered voter no later than Monday, Oct. 5, according to the California Secretary of State's office. The city's elections page confirms Walnut Creek voters will start receiving ballots that same week.

The county had 728,411 registered voters as of Aug. 18, according to the Contra Costa County elections office. In the 2020 general election, Walnut Creek alone had 50,072 registered voters, and 89% cast ballots, according to a Contra Costa County Civil Grand Jury report.

Kristin B. Connelly, the county's Clerk-Recorder and Registrar of Voters, addressed election security in an Aug. 27 statement ahead of the Nov. 3 vote. Connelly has made similar appeals before previous elections. In a May 4 press release ahead of the June 2026 primary, she encouraged voters to "complete their ballots and get them back to us early."

Key dates

Voters who need to register or update their name, address or party preference can do so at registertovote.ca.gov before the Oct. 19 deadline. As KQED reported, anyone who misses that cutoff can still register in person through Same Day Registration, available from Oct. 20 through Election Day at county elections offices and open voting locations.

Vote Centers open Oct. 24 in counties that use the state's Voter's Choice Act model; Contra Costa instead uses traditional polling places and drop boxes. Walnut Creek City Hall, at 1666 North Main St., served as a regional early voting site during the November 2025 special election.

On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 3 and received by the county elections office no later than Nov. 10 to be counted.

How to check and track your ballot

Voters can verify their registration status at voterstatus.sos.ca.gov. The state's "Where's My Ballot?" tool at WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov lets voters track their ballot after it is mailed.

Registration takes minutes. If a voter updates their address after a ballot has already been sent to an old one, the county will cancel the old ballot and mail a new one.

The Contra Costa County Elections Department is at 555 Escobar St. in Martinez. Voters can call 925-335-7800 or visit contracostavote.gov.