For voters eager to cast their ballot in person for the 2024 Presidential Election, here is when polling places open and close in California.
What time do polls open in California on Election Day?
Polling locations and vote centers in California must open at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Voters who are there at opening should hear poll workers loudly announce that “the polls are open.”
According to the Secretary of State, ballots cannot be cast until the announcement is made.
Polling locations are required to stay open until 8 p.m. closing.
What time do polls close in California on Election Day?
Similar to opening time, anyone at the polling place at 8 p.m. will hear poll workers announce, “the polls are closed,” according to the California Secretary of State’s office.
Upon closing at 8 p.m., a poll worker will stand at the end of the line to inform anyone showing up that the center is closed.
However, anyone who lined up before 8 p.m. will still be able to cast their ballot.
Are there any exceptions to California’s polling place hours?
The set hours for polling places are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., but the closing hour could be extended by a court order.
Voters who cast their ballot during an extended hour, as set by a court order, will have to cast their vote using a provisional ballot.
Those ballots will also be stored separately from other provisional ballots that were submitted before 8 p.m.
Jose Fabian
Jose Fabian is a web producer for CBS Bay Area where he reports on local crime, politics and breaking news. He studied political science and journalism at Sacramento State and was born and raised in Northern California.
