Concord Voter Guide: March 2024 Issues, Voting & Drop Box Sites

CONCORD, CA — It's Election Eve. Monday is the final day of early voting for the 2024 presidential primary election in California. Local races for the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, California State Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives will be closely watched.

Early Voting

Early voting continues Monday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Elections Building, 555 Escobar St. in Martinez, and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the following locations:

• Brentwood Community Center, 35 Oak St., Brentwood
• Pittsburg Library – Community Room, 80 Power Ave., Pittsburg
• Richmond Memorial Auditorium, 403 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond
• San Ramon Valley United Methodist Church, 902 Danville Blvd., Alamo
• Walnut Creek City Hall 1666 N. Main St., Walnut Creek

March 2024 Primary

With presidential frontrunners former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden expected to win their nominations handily, all eyes in California are on the hotly contested primary race for the seat vacated by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein as well as a slew of local races.

In Concord and Contra Costa County, voters are deciding California Prop 1 and candidates for federal, state and county offices.

• California Prop 1: Authorizes $6.5 billion in bonds to build mental health and substance abuse treatment facilities and homeless housing.

U.S. House District 10:

• Mark DeSaulnier (D)
• Nolan Chen (R)
• Mohamed Elsherbini (NP)
• Katherine Piccinini (R)
• Joe Sweeney (NP)

California State Senate District 9:

• Tim Grayson (D)
• Marisol Rubio (D)
• Joseph Grcar (R) write-in
• David Minor (R) write-in

California State Assembly District 16

• Anamaria Avial Farias (D)
• Sonia Ledo (R)
• Karen Mitchoff (D)
• Monica Wilson (D)

Contra Costa County Board Of Supervisors (nonpartisan)

• District 2 candidates: Candace Andersen
• District 3 candidates: Diane Burgis
• District 5 candidate: Mike Barbanica, Iztacchuauhtli Hector Gonzalez, Jelani Killings, Shanelle Scales-Preston

Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge (nonpartisan)

Twelve candidates are running uncontested to retain their respective seats:

• Ayana Young, seat H
• Charles Burch, seat GG
• Christopher Bowen, seat LL
• Colleen Gleason, seat I
• Frank Riebli, seat D
• Gina Dashman, seat AA
• Joni Hiramoto, seat EE
• Mary Ann O'Malley, seat Z
• Palvir Shokers, seat T
• Peter Change, seat O
• Rebecca Hardie, seat BB
• Shara Beltramo, seat FF

Presidential Primary

With the presidential preference primary happening Tuesday, most Golden State residents already have their mail-in ballots in hand.

The primary will decide which candidate gets California's 169 delegates — the largest haul of any state — to the Republican and Democratic national conventions, to be held in July and August, respectively.

There were notable changes to California's primary this year. It moved up from June to Super Tuesday in March with 13 other states.

In California, the political parties determine whether they will have open or closed presidential parties, meaning only the party's registered voters can pick the winning candidates. The Green Party, the Peace and Freedom Party, and the Republican Party are all holding closed primaries in California.

Furthermore, the state's GOP changed the rules to winner-takes-all, so that any candidate who gets a majority wins all of the delegates. Previously, the delegates were divided up based on the number of congressional districts each Republican won. The change, pushed by the Donald Trump campaign, raises the stakes in California's primary and favors the frontrunner in the Republican primary, which also happens to be Trump.

The American Independent Party, the Democratic Party, and the Libertarian Party hold a modified-closed primary, which means they allow No Party Preference voters to vote in their primaries.

Click here to check your voter and party registration status.

Statewide Primary Elections

All 52 of California's congressional districts have primary races Tuesday along with one U.S. Senate race. With frontrunners Trump and Biden expected to sail to victory in California's presidential primary, the real suspense centers on the Golden State's senate race.

For the senate race, California has an open primary, which means only the top two vote-getters in the primary election, regardless of party affiliation, move on to the general election.

All election season, polls have shown Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) in the lead with former Los Angeles Dodger Steve Garvey (R), Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine ), and Rep. Barbara Lee (Oakland) vying for second place to make it into the general election.

How To Vote On Election Day

Mail-in ballot: Voters can mail in the ballots they received in the mail by signing them, sealing them and placing them in either a mailbox — no postage required — or an approved drop box. There are 40 official drop boxes in Contra Costa County, including:

• Concord City Hall, 1950 Parkside Dr., Concord (open 24/7)
• Monument Crisis Center, 1990 Market St., Concord (open 24/7)

Voters can find the most up-to-date list of convenient drop-box locations here.

All ballots must be postmarked — or turned in at a polling place — by March 5. Ballots mailed back by voters must be received in the mail by election officials by March 12.

Mail-in voters in California have a way to track their ballots to make sure their votes are counted. The California Secretary of State offers Where’s My Ballot? for voters to track and receive notifications on the status of their vote-by-mail ballot.

Traditional in-person voting: Polls are open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Tuesday. Polling locations are mailed to voters with their ballots. On Election Day, 147 polling locations will be open across Contra Costa County. Every voter was assigned a polling place; it was listed on the back of their Voter Information Guide. Those who wish to vote in person can minimize the time spent waiting by reviewing their ballot options ahead of time and arriving ready to vote.

On election night or the next morning, go online to your local Patch site for up-to-date election results.

2024 Election: Endorsements And Voter Guides

• CalMatters
• East Bay Times
• Los Angeles Times
• The Orange-County Register
• The San Diego-Union Tribune
• Sacramento Bee
• San Francisco Chronicle
• California Secretary of State Voter Guide
• California Democratic Party Endorsements
• California Republican Party Endorsements