What Time Do Polls Close? San Francisco Election Day Guide

Submitted by the Event Organizer

What Times Do the Polls Close?

In San Francisco the polls close at 8pm Pacific.

If the Polls Close and I’m Still in Line, Can I Still Vote?

Yes! But don’t leave the line. According to the California Secretary of State website you have the right to vote if you were in line prior to 8pm. “Poll workers must be trained about the right of voters to cast a ballot if they are in line at the polling place when the polls close at 8:00 p.m. Voters who are in line at the polling place at the time polls close are entitled to vote and must be allowed to exercise that right. (§§ 2300(a)(3), 14212, 14401, 14402)”

Can I Mail in My Ballot on Election Day?

Yes! According to San Francisco Department of Elections, as long as your ballot return envelope is postmarked by November 3rd, your ballot is eligible to be counted. However, you must make sure that are you dropping your ballot off at a mailbox prior to pickup time or at a post office prior to their close of business – otherwise you run the risk of your ballot not receiving the proper postmark. To better protect your right to vote, it is recommended that instead of mailing on November 3rd to drop off your ballot at one of the 588 polling places throughout the city no later than 8pm.

“To be counted, your ballot must be postmarked on or before Election Day. If you mail your ballot on Election Day, be sure to check the pickup time on the blue USPS collection box, home letterbox, or business mail drop. If the last pickup has already occurred, the ballot envelope will be postmarked late and will not be counted. The Department encourages voters to return their ballots as early as possible!”

What Are Current Wait Times at the Polls?

If you’re in San Francisco and plan to vote in person, there’s a handy website that lets you know the current wait times at the polls using the Voting Site Wait Times Lookup Tool.

Do I Have to Vote at My Assigned Polling Location?

No! Although it’s best to vote at your assigned precinct, you have the flexibility to vote with a provisional ballot at a number of polling places near you in case the lines are too long at your polling place.

• Enter your address at sfelections.org and find out which polling places will have all the same contests on which you are eligible to vote.
• Or you can vote provisionally at any polling place in San Francisco, but be aware that if you vote in a different neighborhood that your provisional ballot may not have all the contests on which you are eligible to vote. Learn More.

All 588 San Francisco Official Ballot Drop-Off Stations

In general, Bill Graham Civic is open most days starting October 5th. There are 11 other drop off locations from October 31 to November 3rd in each of the city’s districts. On election day, you can drop off your ballot on any of the 588 drop-off stations set up at polling places across the City.

• Find a drop off location near you.
• Drop-off locations open Tuesday November 3rd from 7am to 8pm

12 Ballot Drop-off locations open in advance of election day
Open 8am to 5pm on Nov. 2nd / Open 7am to 8pm on Nov. 3rd

• Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – 99 Grove St
• Supervisorial District 1 – Anza Branch Library, 550 37th Ave
• Supervisorial District 2 – Golden Gate Valley Library, 1801 Green St
• Supervisorial District 3 – Portsmouth Square, Washington St at Walter U Lum Pl
• Supervisorial District 4 – Ortega Branch Library, 3223 Ortega St
• Supervisorial District 5 – Park Branch Library, 1833 Page St
• Supervisorial District 6 – Chase Center, 1655 3rd St
• Supervisorial District 7 – West Portal Branch Library, 190 Lenox Way
• Supervisorial District 8 – Noe Valley/Sally Brunn Branch Library, 451 Jersey St
• Supervisorial District 9 – Mission Branch Library, 300 Bartlett St
• Supervisorial District 10 -Bayview/Linda Brooks-Burton Library, 5075 3rd St
• Supervisorial District 11 -Excelsior Branch Library, 4400 Mission St

35 SF & Bay Area Voter Guides for Every Point of View

Need last minute help voting? KQED, ACLU, Broke-Ass Stuart, Harvey Milk Club, Libertarians and more have guides to help out. Check out all the voter guides.

Election Day Freebies

• Free Krispy Kreme Donut – Grab a free Krispy Kreme donut and an I Voted sticker, open to everyone on Election Day
• Free Lyft Rides to Polls & Ballot Boxes – Get a free ride to vote now through Election Day with Lyft code
• Free Fries at Super Duper – Show off your ballot stub or “I Voted” sticker for free fries at any Super Duper, valid on 11/3

Upcoming Bay Area Protests/Rallies

Many businesses in San Francisco are boarding up in case of civil unrest so please note that details may change dramatically depending how the election unfolds. See the latest updates.

TUESDAY, November 3

• 11/3 – Bay Area – Free Lyft Rides to the Polls or Ballot Box – use code NAACPVOTE2020 (or 50% off w/ code 2020VOTE)
• 11/3 – SF (Online) – “Here to Stay” Election Morning Live Stream – 8am
• 11/3 – SF – Election Day “Phonebank-a-thon” for Biden/Harris – Manny’s 3092 16th St. – 8a to 4p
• 11/3 – SF – “Walk the Vote” Parade to the Ballot Box – 2 Marina Blvd near Fort Mason – Noon (short 5-minute parade)
• 11/3 – Oakland – Election Watch Party for Our Democracy – 7 West, 1255 7th St. – 1pm to 10pm
• 11/3 – SF – Sit. Walk. Art. Election Day Rally Talk/Meditation/Murals/Walk – Civic Center – 1-5:30pm – TIME UPDATE
• 11/3 – SF  – Election Day Protest: “The Nightmare of Fascism Won’t End On November 3” – Castro & Market – 5:30pm (TIME UPDATE)
• 11/3 – San Jose – Operation: Occupy Sigma Chi – 284 S 10th St – 5pm
• 11/3 – SF – Election Night at The Pig w/ $1 Off Beer – 433 S. Van Ness – 5pm
• 11/3 – SF – Election Night Watch Party at Oasis – 298 11th St. – 5-9pm
• 11/3 – SF – Manny’s Election Night Dining Experience – 16th & Valencia – 5p to 11:30p
• 11/3 – SF (Online) – “Here to Stay” Election Evening Updates & Live Stream – 6pm
• 11/3 – Santa Cruz – “No Cops, No KKK, No Fascist USA” Rally at Clock Tower – 7pm
• 11/3 – SF – Election Night “Victory” Party on Castro Street  – Castro/Market –  8-11pm – CANCELED DUE TO COVID CONCERNS
• 11/3 – SF – Election Night Part with Jackie Fielder – Spark Social, 601 Mission Bay Blvd. – 8pm
• 11/3 – SF (Online) – “Election Night! Win or Lose, we Booze” Zoom Watch Party – 8pm (thought FB says 5pm)
• 11/3 – SF (Online) – Electionpalooza Online Watch Party w/ SF AIDS Foundation – 8-10pm

WEDNESDAY, November 4

• 11/4 – SF – Protect the Results Rally – Address TBA – Noon
• 11/4  – Santa Cruz (Online) – The Morning After: A (Post)Election Conversation with UCSC – 12:15-1:45pm
• 11/4 – Santa Cruz – Rally to Demand Every Vote Gets Counted – Clock Tower – 4-7pm
• 11/4 – Watsonville – Rally to Demand Every Vote Gets Counted – City Plaza – 4-7pm
• 11/4 – SF – Twitter Must Protect the Results of Election Rally – Twitter HQ – 5pm
• 11/4 – Online – NAACP Election 2020 Special Coverage Town Hall – 5-6p
• 11/4 – Oakland – “Count Every Vote: Defend Democracy” Rally at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza – 12-3pm
• 11/4 – San Rafael – Protect The Results Protest at City Plaza – 5-6pm

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.