Ojai voters will make several important decisions on November 8. These include the race for Mayor, three Council seats, and City Treasurer. Local voters will also decide whether they wish to return to a Mayor that’s appointed by Council from its elected Council members and serves an equal 4-year term (currently the Mayor is selected separately by voters and serves a two-year term). Ranked Choice voting is also on the ballot. A yes vote gives the Council the opportunity to consider this approach that may offer a path to eliminating Council districts. Proponents say it’s more equitable and makes for friendlier campaigns. Opponents say it’s too complicated. We encourage you to read about it for yourself and decide at www.ballotpedia.org/Ranked-choice voting_(RCV)
See below for more important voting information:
For a printable pdf of this information, click here.
The week of October 10, 2022, Ventura County Elections mailed vote-by-mail ballots to every registered voter in Ventura County.
If you are a registered voter, you may take advantage of three alternatives:
- Mail in your ballot, or
- Drop it in a drive-thru Ballot Drop Box, or
- Bring your mail-in ballot and vote in person at an in-person Vote Center.
Option One: Mail in your ballot:
You may mail your ballot through the United States Postal Service. It must be postmarked on or before November 8, 2022.
Option Two: Place your ballot in a Ballot Drop Box:
You may drop your ballot in any of 37 Ballot Drop Boxes throughout Ventura County. Most are drive-up boxes, so you do not even have to leave your car. This includes the Ballot Drop Box outside Ojai City Hall: The box sits directly west of the main City Hall Building, accessible by foot or from a vehicle’s driver’s-side window. For box location, click here.
A link to a list of all Ballot Drop Box locations in Ventura County is here.
Option Three: Bring your mail-in ballot and vote in-person at an in-person voting location October 29, 2022 through November 8, 2022:
You may vote in person at any of 51 in-person voting locations in Ventura County. These locations will be available instead of precinct polling places. Starting October 29, 2022 ten of the in-person Vote Centers will open. Starting November 5, 2022 a total of 51 Vote Centers will be open 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily through November 7. On November 8, 2022 Election Day, Vote Center hours are 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Voters do not need to bring their mail-in ballots to use these locations, although they may do so if they wish. Staff can print out a paper ballot for any registered voter, specific to that voter’s address.
Two in-person voting locations will be available in the Ojai Valley:
- In Ojai: Ojai United Methodist Church, 120 Church Road (Available October 29, 2022 through Election Day, November 8, 2022)
- In Oak View: Oak View Park and Resource Center, 555 Mahoney Ave. Oak View (Available November 5, 2022 through Election Day, November 8, 2022)
For a list of all Ventura County Vote Center locations, click here.
Para en español clic aquí.
Other Points to Know:
You can track your ballot. Register at https://california.ballottrax.net/voter/ to track you ballot to find out when it is received and counted.
Your ballot is secure. Ballots sent via U.S. Mail on or before November 8, 2022, will be postmarked and sent to Ventura County Elections to be counted. For ballots placed in Ballot Drop Boxes and ballots deposited at the in-person Vote Centers, Ventura County Elections staff retrieve these ballots daily and deliver them to Ventura County Elections. If you lose or spoil your mail-in ballot you may take it to an in-person Vote Center and obtain another ballot, or obtain one by completing the downloadable form and following the affidavit instructions at this link.
You can still register to vote. You can register to vote online here: https://registertovote.ca.gov/
You can check your voter registration here: https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/
Remember to sign the back of your Vote-by-Mail return envelope.
For more information, visit the City’s Election Information page, contact the City Clerk Department at cityclerk@ojaicity.org or call (805) 646-5581 x 120.