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When California Governor Gavin Newsom started talking about holding a special statewide election this November to counteract partisan gerrymandering in Texas, Juan Pablo Cervantes’s brain immediately went to logistics: lining up polling places, hiring election workers, designing and printing ballots.

“We’re basically tasked to do something that usually takes us six to seven months in two and a half months,” Cervantes said. As the county’s registrar of voters, he’s in charge of organizing all those logistical matters in time for the Nov. 4 election, without the usual six-month runway. “And it’s a very difficult endeavor even [when we have] those six months,” he added.

A major initial concern was over who will foot the bill for this unplanned election, which he expects to cost at least $700,000 in Humboldt County alone, as he recently told CalMatters. Cervantes was worried that the county might have to pay those costs upfront in the midst of its ongoing budget crisis.

Fortunately, California elections law requires the state to cover such costs.

“We haven’t received any money yet, but we’re assured through that legislation that we will be pre-funded for it,” Cervantes said.

Meanwhile, Humboldt County’s rural nature presents another host of challenges, such as lining up ADA-compliant polling locations (which is hard when so many local buildings were built decades ago) and hiring enough people to staff up polling locations in such far-flung communities as Hoopa and Garberville. 

The Elections Office actually hires employees during statewide elections, rather than relying on volunteers. And not just a few people for extra help.

“We’re shooting for 150,” Cervantes said. “I don’t know if we’re going to hit that.” 

His office has hired about 60 people thus far, though he said it gets harder as time goes on to find new people. To be eligible, people just have to be registered voters over the age of 18.

Since this is a special election, the state allows counties to scale back on the number of vote centers, “which was crucial,” Cervantes said. “The idea that any county, let alone rural counties, would be able to scale up to a full [complement] of vote centers like that,” he said, snapping his fingers, “was just non-viable from get-go.”

While there will be fewer vote centers than usual, Cervantes said he and his staff tried to place them strategically throughout the county. And thanks to the 2016 Voter’s Choice Act, whose provisions took effect locally just last year, there will be a variety of ways to cast your vote, with mail-in ballots sent to every registered voter and multiple days of in-person voting available in most locations.

The compressed timeline is also challenging for vendors, including the limited number of certified printers that can produce election ballots. Humboldt County’s ballots are printed and mailed by Everett, Washington-based K&H Election Services, which, in 2022, produced ballot packets for nearly 23 million voters. The company currently serves about 70 jurisdictions across 11 states and has served as Humboldt County’s ballot printer since 2023, according to Cervantes.

On top of all these challenges, Cervantes and his staff are also in charge of running the City of Blue Lake’s upcoming recall election. At a meeting last night, the council opted not to set a date for that election, instead postponing that task until a special meeting scheduled for Sept. 9. That means the election won’t be held until early next year, which gives Cervantes and his team a bit more time. 

But still, Cervantes has had a lot on his plate since he was elected in 2022.

“When I decided to run for office I thought there’d be an off year every once in a while,” he said with a laugh. “I have yet to see one. It’s been go, go, go — nothing but sprinting.”

He and his office’s employees are up for the challenge, though.

“Running an election in less than half the usual time is no small task, but our team is meeting it with focus and determination,” he said. “I am thankful for their hard work, and for the voters of Humboldt who continue to show that democracy is strongest when people come together to make their voices heard.”

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Below is a rundown of the key dates with information about voting centers and ballot box locations:

• October 6, 2025
• Vote by Mail ballots begin mailing
• Vote Center Opens (29 days before Election Day):
• Humboldt County Office of Elections, 2426 6th Street, 
• October 7, 2025
• Ballot Drop Boxes open countywide (secure, monitored, checked regularly) 
• Willow Creek: Ray’s Food Place, 38915 Hwy 299 
• Trinidad: Murphy’s Market, 1 Main St 
• McKinleyville: Ace Hardware, 2725 Centra/l Ave; Murphy’s Market, 1451 Glendale Dr 
• Arcata: Murphy’s Market, 785 Bayside Rd; Murphy’s Market, 100 Westwood Ct; Ray’s Food Place, 5000 Valley West Blvd 
• Eureka: Office of Elections, 2426 6th St; Murphy’s Market, 4020 Walnut Dr 
• Fortuna: Ray’s Food Place, 2009 Main St 
• Redway: Shop Smart, 3430 Redwood Dr
• October 20, 2025
• Last day to register to vote •
• October 25, 2025
• Vote Center Opens (10 days before Election Day):
• Jefferson Community Center, 1000 B Street, Eureka 
• November 1, 2025
• Vote Centers Open (3 days before Election Day):
• Arcata Community Center, 321 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Pkwy, Arcata
• Fortuna Veterans Memorial Building, 1426 Main Street, Fortuna
• McKinleyville Middle School, 2285 Central Avenue, McKinleyville
• November 4, 2025 – Election Day
• Vote Centers open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Election Day-only Vote Centers: 
• Hoopa Neighborhood Facility, 11860 Highway 96, Hoopa 
• Redwood Playhouse, 286 Sprowel Creek Rd, Garberville
• Ballot Drop Boxes close at 8 p.m.
• Ballots returned by mail must be postmarked on or before this date
• November 12, 2025
• Deadline for mailed ballots to be received