MYTH:
If I leave something blank on my ballot, my ballot won’t be counted.
FALSE!
If a voter doesn’t make a choice for a particular contest, no vote is recorded for that contest only. The rest of the ballot still counts. You can vote for as many or as few contests on your ballot as you choose.
MYTH:
Provisional ballots are only counted if there is a close race.
FALSE!
In California, provisional ballots serve as a fail-safe method of ensuring all voters who show up to the polls can cast a ballot. ALL eligible provisional ballots are counted. County elections officials carefully check every provisional ballot to ensure the voter was registered and did not cast a second ballot elsewhere. Due to the additional human review and verification needed for provisional ballots, they are typically counted after Election Day and vote-by-mail ballots.
MYTH:
Vote-by-mail ballots are thrown out if they arrive after Election Day.
FALSE!
County elections officials will process and count all valid vote-by-mail ballots that are postmarked on or before Election Day and arrive no later than 3 days after the election.
Some counties are offering a new tool called “Where MY Ballot?” that allows voters to track the status of their vote-by-mail ballots. To see if your county is participating, visit: https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballot-status/wheres-my-ballot/
