Updated: March 1, 2024
Proposition 1 (March 5th ballot)
The Jewish Center for Justice supports voting ‘YES’ on Proposition 1 on the March 5th ballot. Proposition 1 would:
- Authorize $6.38 billion in bonds to build mental health facilities for those with mental illness and substance use challenges.
- Provides housing for unhoused populations.
- Institute a 1% tax on high earners to help pay for mental health services.
For more information on JCJ’s mental health advocacy, visit our mental health page.
While Election Day is more than eight months away, primaries are ongoing across the country, including on March 5th here in California. So it is never too early to become informed about how to vote, where to vote, and what issues are on the ballot.
Over the next few months, this page will serve as JCJ’s comprehensive Election 2024 Voter Guide. Bookmark this page, and check back for more updates on what to expect as Election Day approaches.
How do I vote?
Every registered voter in California will receive a vote-by-mail ballot about one month before the election. If you are not registered to vote, click here to register, to check your registration status, and for information about registration deadlines. You can register to vote in person on Election Day at your polling location, click here for more details.
If you are registered, but have not received your vote-by-mail ballot, go here to track it.
All registered California voters can also vote in person on or before Election Day. Find your polling place here.
How do I submit my vote-by-mail ballot?
Once you’ve marked your ballot, seal it inside the envelope provided. Don’t forget to sign and date the envelope! No stamps are necessary to mail a ballot. Make sure the mail ballot is postmarked by Tuesday, November 5 or earlier.
If you wish to drop off your ballot, you can do so at any voting location in your county. Some counties also offer secure drop off locations. Go here for details and locations.
Election Day Voting Resources
- USA.gov
- GOTV Activities for Nonprofits (National Association for the Education of Young Children)
- Vote 411
- When We All Vote
- Voto Latino
What to do if your name is not on the voter roster?
- Ask a poll worker for a Provisional Ballot
- You have the right to cast a provisional ballot, which will be counted after elections officials have confirmed you are a registered voter.
- Ask a poll worker to give you information on how to check if your provisional ballot was counted.
- Know Your Rights Resources from the ACLU
What JCJ believes
Voting is the most basic right in any democracy.
American Jews have long stood with disenfranchised communities in support of voting rights. We support efforts at every level of government to fight voter suppression and ensure access to the ballot box for every American. This includes increasing voter registration, educating voters about key political issues, assisting those who need help in getting to the polls, and fighting state legislative efforts to make it harder for people to vote.
Why volunteer at the polls?
Too many systemic barriers stand between Americans and the ballot box.
Until almost a half century ago, people of color were subjected to rules like poll taxes and literacy tests when trying to cast their ballots. These laws existed for no other reason than to make it harder for them to vote. In 1965, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act to strengthen American democracy and deliver true voting rights to all Americans.
But while our nation has seen progress, today history is repeating itself. Legislatures across America are advancing hundreds of bills to wind back the clock on voting rights. In the courts, there have been efforts to sweep away the protections enshrined in the Voting Rights Act. Under the guise of “preventing fraud,” new attacks on voting rights — from voter ID laws and purges of voter rolls to restrictions on early voting and physically limiting access to the polls — are creating a new regime of suppression built on the foundations of Jim Crow.
Volunteer opportunities to protect the vote:
- Do you work for a law firm and can assist with pro-bono work? Click here.
- Sign up to be a poll monitor
- Stay informed (click here)
Jewish sources on voting
For any community matter on which they cannot find common ground, they should convene all taxpayers, and they should agree that each will voice his or her view for the selfless benefit of the community, and they will follow the majority. — Shulchan Arukh, Choshen Mishpat 163:1
If, in your opinion, the majority are about to commit an error in judgment, do not remain silent because they are the majority, but state your view. This applies even if you know beforehand that they will not accept your viewpoint but that of the majority. — The Rashbam commentary on Exodus 23:2 V 1
Rabbi Yitzhak taught, “A ruler is not to be appointed unless the community is first consulted.” — Talmud, B’rachot 55a