Vote By Mail :: California Secretary of State

register to vote

County elections officials send vote-by-mail ballots to all active registered voters. If you think you’re already registered, you can check your registration online with our “my voter status” tool.

If you are not already registered, you can register online at registertovote.ca.gov.

vote by mail

Any registered voter can vote using a vote-by-mail ballot instead of going to the polls on Election Day.

After you have voted, insert your ballot into the envelope provided, making sure to fill in all required information on the envelope.

You can return your voted ballot by

  1. by mailing it to your county elections official;
    • Vote-by-mail ballots that are submitted must be postmarked on or before Election Day and must be received by your county elections office no later than 7 days after Election Day.
    • If you are not sure if your vote-by-mail ballot will arrive on time if it is mailed, take it to any polling place in the state between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. m. and 8:00 p.m. m. on election day.
    • Vote-by-mail ballots that are hand-delivered must be delivered by the close of polls at 8:00 p.m. m. on election day.
    • Vote-by-mail ballots that are delivered in person at a ballot drop-off location must be delivered by the close of polls at 8:00 p.m. m. on election day.
    • Anyone can return your ballot for you, as long as you don’t get paid per ballot. In order for your ballot to be counted, you must complete the authorization section on the outside of your ballot envelope.

    When your county elections official receives your vote-by-mail ballot, your signature on the return envelope will be compared to the signatures on your voter registration record. To preserve the secrecy of your ballot, the ballot will be separated from the return envelope and then counted.

    All valid vote-by-mail ballots are counted in all California elections, regardless of the outcome or contest. For additional information on how and when ballots are verified and tabulated, visit our description of how the official vote count is completed.

    voting for the first time

    When you registered to vote, you were asked to fill in your driver’s license number, California identification number, or the last four digits of your social security number. If this is your first time voting in a federal election and you didn’t include this information when you registered, send a photocopy of some personal identification to your county elections official before the election.

    A copy of a recent utility bill, the county voter information guide you received from your county elections office, or other document sent to you by a government agency are examples of acceptable forms of identification. Other examples include your passport, driver’s license, official California identification card, or student identification card.

    If your identity cannot be verified, your vote-by-mail ballot return envelope will not be opened.

    For more information on the ID you should use when you vote for the first time, see the full list of acceptable forms of ID (pdf) or call the Secretary of State’s toll-free voter hotline at (800) 345- vote (8683 ).

    status of your vote-by-mail ballot

    California Elections Code Section 3017(c) requires county elections officials to establish procedures to track and confirm the receipt of voted-by-mail ballots and to make this information available through an online access system. online using the county election division. website or through a toll-free telephone number.

    You can also check the status of your ballot by visiting “my voter status”.

    where’s my ballot?

    The California Secretary of State now offers Where’s My Ballot?, a new way for voters to track and receive notifications about the status of their vote-by-mail ballot. Powered by ballottrax, Where’s My Ballot? lets voters know where their ballot is and their state, every step of the way.

    A registered voter will receive email, text, or voicemail notices from the county elections official about the status of the voter’s vote-by-mail ballot, including:

    • when the ballot is delivered
    • the date the voter’s ballot is expected to be delivered to the voter
    • if the voter’s ballot is returned as not deliverable to the county elections official by the usps
    • when the voter’s completed ballot has been received by the county
    • whether the voter’s completed ballot has been accepted or a reason why ballot could not be accepted and instructions on the steps the voter can take to have the ballot accepted
    • the deadline for the voter to return their ballot if the county has not received the voter’s completed ballot in specified dates as determined by the county election official

    Sign up at wheresmyballot.sos.ca.gov to receive automatic email, sms (text), or voice call notifications about your ballot.

    where’s my ballot? is available in all 58 California counties.

    california replacement vote-by-mail ballot application

    If you did not receive your vote-by-mail ballot or if you lost or destroyed your original vote-by-mail ballot, you may request a replacement vote-by-mail ballot in writing. this application must be submitted to your county elections official. (electrical code, § 3014.)

    once you mark your ballot, fill out and sign the return envelope, you may return your voted ballot by any of the methods described above.

    California replacement vote-by-mail ballot request form can be found here:

    • English (pdf)

    california late vote-by-mail ballot application

    If you are unable to vote in person at the polls and do not have a vote-by-mail ballot, you may request a late vote-by-mail ballot in writing. this application must be delivered in person to your county elections official by you or your representative. (electrical code, § 3021.)

    once you mark your ballot, fill out and sign the return envelope, you may mail your ballot in person or through your authorized representative, either to your election official or to any polling place within your jurisdiction.

    California’s late vote-by-mail ballot request form can be found here:

    • English (pdf)

    military & vote by mail abroad

    as a military or overseas voter, to receive your election materials and vote when you are absent from your county while serving or living abroad, you must be registered as a military or overseas voter by completing the california form online voter registration application (covr) or by completing the federal post card application (fpca). The FPCA is available from the Federal Voting Assistance Program.

    For additional information, visit our Military and Overseas Voting Information section.

    historical vote-by-mail ballot statistics

    The secretary of state maintains the following historical statistics for the use of mail-in voting:

    • historical use of vote-by-mail (absentee) ballots in california
    • permanent recorded vote-by-mail statistics from 1992 to 2020* (xlsx)
    • vote – statistics by mail 2003 to 2020* (xlsx)

    *please note that each county election office provided these numbers. Because not all counties provided information, complete data is not available at the state level.

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