Municipal Elections

The City Clerk is the Election Official for the City of Palo Alto and administers all municipal elections for the City. The City Clerk’s Office assists candidates in meeting their legal responsibilities from election pre-planning to certification of election results and filing of all campaign disclosure documents. The City Clerk's Office also assists with ballot initiatives, referendums and measures. The City of Palo Alto contracts with the County of Santa Clara Registrar of Voters to facilitate the election voting, but reserves the right to qualify all candidates for office.

2022 General Municipal Election

Find election results from the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters here.

  • Vicki Veenker, Ed Lauing and Julie Lythcott-Haims were duly elected for terms of four years commencing January 1, 2023 to serve as Council Members of the City of Palo Alto
  • Measure K (Business Tax) and Measure L (Natural Gas Utility Transfer) were approved by Palo Alto voters

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Additional Resources

How Do I Register to Vote?

Voter Registration Deadline: 15 days before Election Day
Use the California Online Voter Registration System to register to vote!

Paper registration forms are available at the County Registrar of Voters Office, U.S. Post Offices, the Department of Motor Vehicles, and public libraries. Signed and completed forms must be returned in person or by mail, they cannot be faxed or e-mailed.

Eligibility
You can register to vote if you are:

  • At lease 18 years old by Election Day
  • A United States citizen and resident of California
  • Not currently serving a state or federal prison term for the conviction of a felony, and
  • Not currently found mentally incompetent to vote by a court

You can pre-register to vote if you are:

  • At least 16 years old
  • A United States citizen
  • Not currently serving a state or federal prison term for the conviction of a felony
  • Your voter registration will become active when you turn 18

 

Campaign Finance

Campaign finance is governed by the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) of the State of California. All candidates for state and local office and any committee formed to support or oppose a candidate or ballot measure are required to file campaign disclosure statements. The FPPC has manuals that walk you through the process. It is the responsibility of the candidate and/or committee to file the required campaign disclosure statements in a timely manner. If you have any questions please consult the FPPC's campaign disclosure manuals or ask the FPPC for advice

Additionally, candidates running for local office are required to file Form 700 (Statement of Economic Interests). Investments, interests in real property, and business positions held on the date of filing your declaration of candidacy must be reported. The City of Palo Alto uses the online system NetFile for entering and disclosing candidate's statements.

NetFile Employee/Elected Official Login

NetFile System Public Portal

Other Resources

Political Sign Regulations

Political signs may be erected in conformity with Section 16.20 in the Palo Alto Municipal Code (PAMC). Political signs do not require a permit but there are some regulations to follow.

  1. No sign shall be placed on any public property, including but not limited to any city building, sidewalk, crosswalk, curb, street lamp post, hydrant, tree, shrub, tree stake or guard, railroad trestle, wire pole, street sign, or traffic sign.
  2. Wall signs in residential districts shall not exceed an area of one square foot of sign for each forty square feet of wall area. Wall signs are allowed a minimum area of six square feet and maximum area of one hundred fifty square feet, regardless of wall area.
  3. Political signs must be completely removed no later than six days following the day of the election to which it relates. Any political sign not removed within six days shall be considered abandoned and shall be removed by the Building Division.
  4. Unsafe and unlawful signs may be removed by the Building Division or the Police Department.
  5. Before placing any signs or sign structures within view of a county or state highway, a statement by a responsible party with a notarized signature must be filed with the Chief of the Highway Outdoor Advertising Program, State Department of Transportation, P.O. Box 942874, Sacramento, CA 94274- 0001, or 1120 "N" Street (5th floor), Sacramento, California 98514.

Reporting Non-Compliant Signs

Please contact the City's Code Enforcement Division through PaloAlto311 or the City Clerk's Office at City.Clerk@cityofpaloalto.org to report non-compliant signs.

Download Santa Clara County Vote Centers here(PDF, 191KB)