SACRAMENTO, Calif. — With less than 24 hours to go before Election Day, California’s Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber says her office is prepared for its busiest day of the year.

What You Need To Know

  • The Secretary of State’s voter hotline has received nearly 2,000 calls every day in the weeks leading up to the election

  • The hotline is able to answer any election-related questions in ten different languages    

  • The SOS has a link on its website to report misinformation

  • Counties have until Dec. 3, 2024 to certify the election results
 

“We’ve done a lot of trainings with law enforcement and with our volunteers at the various sites to make sure that if anything happens, we can respond to it quickly,” said Weber.

She notes the Secretary of State’s voter hotline has received nearly 2,000 calls daily in the weeks leading up to the election. The hotline is equipped to answer any voter-related questions in ten different languages. 

“I am optimistic that everything is going to be great because I believe very strongly that people want to vote, and they want their vote to count,” she said.

Weber emphasized that while the polls close at 8 p.m. on Nov. 5, a new state law gives counties until Dec. 3 to certify the election results. The law was enacted to give voters more time to fix a missing or mismatched signature.

“People often ask, ‘Why does it take so long?’ Well, we’re a large state. We have over 23 million registered voters right now and we want to make sure every vote counts,” she adds.

Weber says if there’s an error on a ballot, election officials will contact the voter to resolve the issue.

As the Election Security Program Manager at the Secretary of State’s Office, Mike Somers says ensuring a safe and secure election is his top priority.

“Election Day is our Super Bowl, so it is the time where the whole election community comes together to make sure we have this thing called democracy,” said Somers.

Somers works closely with local, state and federal officials to ensure election integrity.

“It’s an immense honor to be able to work in this field and work on this program and make sure that my fellow Americans’ votes are protected and secure and that the election processes are transparent,” he adds.

Somers encourages voters to visit the SOS website for information on voting and to learn how to track their ballot. The website also includes a link to report misinformation.

“Misinformation is meant to get people fired up and angry. I think it’s really important to take a step back, get good, trusted information and make sure that you are seeking out what the true information is and not just trusting any post on social media,” Somers said.

According to a CBS News analysis, 25 out of the state’s 58 counties will have a new election official in charge of administering the election.

Weber explained she’s met with all of the new registrars and says her staff is working closely with all the counties.

“I’ve visited many of them and we want to make sure that we’re a team, so if they run into any difficulty, we would rather them call us then to try to figure it out alone.”