Register to Vote Deadline Looms in Cathedral City

CATHEDRAL CITY — Monday, August 12, is the deadline for residents to register to vote and be eligible to cast a ballot in the August 27 Cathedral City special vacancy mail ballot election.

About 3,900 vote-by-mail ballots started to be delivered to voters in City Council District 1 the week of July 29 for the city’s special vacancy mail-ballot-only election, according to the Riverside County Registrar of Voters.

There are two candidates on the ballot: Shelley Kaplan and Rita Lamb.

Voter registration applications submitted online at RegisterToVote.ca.gov prior to midnight Monday will be honored, as will paper forms postmarked by the deadline. Paper applications are available at the Riverside County Registrar of Voters’ office, Department of Motor Vehicles offices, post offices and public libraries.

The registrar’s office, 2724 Gateway Drive in Riverside, will be open from 8 a.m. Monday morning until 5 p.m. to accept registration forms. The forms contain personal information, so to help ensure confidentiality and that they are received on time, the Registrar of Voters encourages voters to personally deliver or mail completed forms to the registrar’s office, while keeping the deadline in mind.

California residents may register to vote if they are U.S. citizens, at least 18 years old by Election Day, not adjudicated as mentally incompetent and not precluded because of certain criminal convictions. A person must re-register to vote after moving, changing names or changing political party preference.

The August 27 special vacancy mail ballot election is not a countywide election, so some areas of the county are not included in the election. If you have any questions about your eligibility to vote, please contact the registrar’s office at (951) 486‐7200.

Once you register to vote, in order for your ballot to be counted, completed ballots must be received at the Registrar of Voters office no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day, or be postmarked on or before Election Day and received no later than three days after Election Day.

Because it is solely a mail-ballot election, there will be no established polling places.