The slate of candidates is set. The campaign signs will soon be everywhere, mailboxes will fill with political mailers and candidates will be making their cases to voters.
Now it’s our turn.
Voting is one of the most important responsibilities we have as citizens, yet it is easy to take it for granted. Local elections, especially, have a direct impact on our daily lives—from schools and public safety to roads, parks, housing, taxes and the future direction of our communities.
With the candidates now set, voters should take the time to do their homework.
Don’t simply vote for the name you recognize. Read about the candidates. Look at their experience and records. Visit their campaign websites, but also look for independent reporting and information about the issues. Ask yourself what each candidate is proposing and whether those proposals are realistic.
And attend candidate forums whenever possible.
There is no substitute for seeing candidates answer questions in person. Forums give voters an opportunity to hear how candidates think, how they respond when challenged and how well they understand the issues facing the communities they hope to represent.
You don’t have to agree with every candidate. In fact, you shouldn’t. The point of an election is to give voters choices. Our job as a newspaper—and as citizens—is to encourage people to become informed and participate, not to tell them how to vote.
The deadline to register for the Nov. 3, 2026, general election is Oct. 19. The California Secretary of State confirms that date for the statewide election.
Registration information can be found on the Santa Clara County Registrar’s site at vote.santaclaracounty.gov/home; or the Secretary of State’s site at sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration.
If you’re already registered, check your registration and make sure your address and other information are current.
There also should be no confusion about how to cast that vote. Don’t be afraid to vote by mail. California sends a vote-by-mail ballot to every active registered voter.
There is no evidence that widespread fraudulent voting occurred in California’s 2024 election. Despite more than 13 million Californians voting by mail, the state has not reported a significant number of fraudulent ballots that were successfully cast and counted. California’s system includes signature verification, duplicate-voting checks, ballot tracking, voter notification and post-election audits.
For those who prefer voting in person, California generally does not require voters to show identification at the polls. There is a limited exception for certain first-time voters in a federal election who registered by mail or online and did not provide a California driver’s license or identification number, or the last four digits of their Social Security number, when registering.
That’s an important distinction because misinformation about voting can discourage people from participating.
The bottom line is simple: Learn. Listen. Ask questions. Then vote.
We won’t tell you which candidate deserves your vote. That’s your decision.
But we will encourage you to make that decision thoughtfully.
Too often, people complain about the government after the election while admitting they didn’t vote. If we want a voice in how our communities are governed, we have to use the voice that democracy gives us.
The candidates have put their names on the ballot.
Now it’s up to us to show up.
