Alameda Vote Center Opens Oct. 24 at Independence Plaza

In-person voting for the Nov. 3 election starts Saturday, Oct. 24, in Alameda, CA, when a vote center opens at Independence Plaza, 703 Atlantic Avenue, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Five more Alameda vote centers open Saturday, Oct. 31.

• Where: Independence Plaza, 703 Atlantic Avenue, is Alameda's only vote center open the full stretch.
• When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day from Oct. 24 through Monday, Nov. 2, then 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3.
• More sites: Five 4-day vote centers open Oct. 31, including South Shore Center and Island High School.
• Drop boxes: Three in Alameda, open 24 hours a day until 8 p.m. on Election Day.
• Who runs it: The Alameda County Registrar of Voters.

Where can I vote in person in Alameda?

You've got six choices, and you can use any of them no matter where you live.

The county says any eligible voter can visit any vote center. That means a Bay Farm voter can stop by Island High on the way home, and a West End voter can vote at South Shore while running errands. It doesn't have to be the one closest to your house.

Here's the full Alameda list from the Alameda County Registrar of Voters vote center list:

• Independence Plaza, 703 Atlantic Avenue (opens Oct. 24)
• Central Baptist Church, 2133 Central Avenue (opens Oct. 31)
• First Congregational Church of Alameda, 1912 Central Avenue (opens Oct. 31)
• Bohol Circle, 1815 Union Street (opens Oct. 31)
• South Shore Center, 2202 South Shore Center (opens Oct. 31)
• Island High School, 500 Pacific Avenue (opens Oct. 31)

Two of the five late openers sit a few blocks apart on Central Avenue, so that's an easy one to remember.

What are the vote center hours?

It's 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, weekends included, and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.

That gives you 11 days of in-person voting at Independence Plaza and four days at the other five sites. If you work a regular weekday schedule, the two Saturdays, Oct. 24 and Oct. 31, are the easiest days to fit it in.

Where are the ballot drop boxes in Alameda?

There are three, and they're open around the clock until 8 p.m. on Nov. 3.

• Alameda City Hall, 2263 Santa Clara Avenue
• College of Alameda, 555 Ralph Appezzato Memorial Parkway
• Bay Farm Island Library, 3221 Mecartney Road

The City of Alameda also says you can hand in your mail ballot at any vote center once it opens. No stamp, no post office, no worrying about the postmark.

What happens next?

Independence Plaza opens Saturday, Oct. 24. The other five Alameda vote centers open Saturday, Oct. 31. Everything wraps up at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, when the polls and drop boxes close.

For more on what's changing around town, follow our Alameda news coverage.