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How to Vote By Mail Video Button

County elections officials mail vote-by-mail ballots to all active registered voters. If you believe you are already registered, you can verify your registration online with our “My Voter Status” tool.  If you are not already registered, you can register online at RegisterToVote.ca.gov. 

Voting By Mail

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

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

You may return your voted ballot by 

  1. mailing it to your county elections official; 
    • Vote-by-mail ballots that are mailed must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by your county elections office no later than 7 days after Election Day.  
    • If you are not sure your vote-by-mail ballot will arrive in time if mailed, bring it to any polling place in the state between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.
  2. returning it in person to any polling place within the state or the office of your county elections official;
    • Vote-by-mail ballots that are personally delivered must be delivered no later than the close of polls at 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.
  3. dropping your ballot off at a drop-off location or into a ballot drop box within the state; or
    • Vote-by-mail ballots that are personally delivered to a ballot drop-off location must be delivered no later than the close of polls at 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.
  4. authorizing someone to return the ballot on your behalf.
    • Anyone may return your ballot for you, as long as they do not get paid on a per ballot basis.

When your vote-by-mail ballot is received by your county elections official, your signature on the return envelope will be compared to the signature(s) in your voter registration record. To preserve the secrecy of your ballot, the ballot will then be separated from the return envelope, and then it will be tallied.

All valid vote-by-mail ballots are counted in every election in California, regardless of the outcome or closeness of any race. For additional information on how and when ballots are verified and tabulated, please visit our description of how the official canvass of the vote is completed.

For more information on voting by mail, see our “Vote-by-Mail Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)” document.

Voting for the First Time

When you registered to vote, you were asked to fill in your driver license number, California identification number, or the last four digits of your Social Security number. If you are a first-time voter in a federal election and did not 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 another document sent to you by a government agency are examples of acceptable forms of identification. Other examples include your passport, driver license, official California identification card, or student identification card.

If your identity cannot be verified, then your Vote-by-Mail ballot return envelope will not be opened.

For more information on identification to use when you vote for the first time, check the complete list of acceptable forms of identification (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 vote-by-mail ballots and to make this information available by means of an online access system using the county's elections division web site or via a toll-free telephone number.

You may also check the status of your ballot by visiting, “My Voter Status.”

Where's My Ballot

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

A voter who has signed up will receive notices via email, text, or voice message from the county elections official regarding the status of the voter's vote-by-mail ballot including:

  • When the ballot has been delivered
  • The date that the voter's ballot is expected to be delivered to the voter
  • If the voter's ballot is returned as undeliverable 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 the ballot could not be accepted and instructions of steps the voter can take in order to have the ballot accepted
  • The deadline for the voter to return his or her ballot if the county has not received a voter's completed ballot by specified dates as determined by the county elections 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 Ballot Application

A voter who did not receive their vote-by-mail ballot, or lost or destroyed their original ballot, may apply for a replacement ballot. Only the registered voter themself may request a replacement ballot.

The application should be returned to their local county elections office. A voter may also request a replacement ballot from their county elections office by phone, email, fax, or other electronic means.

The California Replacement Ballot Application can be found here:

It is a criminal offense for anyone other than the registered voter to request a replacement ballot. (Elec. Code, § 3014(a).)

Application to Provide Vote-by-Mail Ballot to Representative

If you need a replacement ballot, you may apply in writing for a vote-by-mail ballot to be provided to your representative. This application must be provided in person to your county elections office by your representative. (Elec. Code, § 3014(b).)

Once you mark your ballot, you may return your voted ballot by any of the methods described above .

The Application to Provide Vote-by-Mail Ballot to Representative can be found here:

Missing or Noncomparable Signature on Your Vote-by-Mail Ballot Return Envelope

Common issues with vote-by-mail or provisional ballot return envelopes include:

  • Missing Signature: You may have forgotten to sign your vote-by-mail ballot return envelope.
  • Signature Doesn’t Compare: The signature doesn’t compare with the one on file with the elections official.

If there’s an issue with the signature, your county elections office will notify you via mail, phone, email, or through the Secretary of State’s “Where’s My Ballot?” tool. To fix it, follow the instructions provided by your county, which will include completing a form to verify your signature. Be sure to submit the form properly to ensure your vote is counted.  For more information, see our How to Fix a Missing or Noncomparable Signature on Your Vote-by-Mail Ballot Return Envelope document. 

Military & Overseas Vote-By-Mail Voting

As a military or overseas voter, in order to receive your election materials and vote when you are absent from your county while serving and/or living overseas, you need to be registered as a military or overseas voter by completing the California Online Voter Registration (COVR) application or by completing the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). The FPCA is available from the Federal Voting Assistance Program.

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

Best Practices for Vote-By-Mail Envelope Design 

The Center for Civic Design has consulted with the United States Postal Service (USPS) to complete a review of the universal vote-by-mail envelope package that was first launched in 2018. During that consultation, the Center for Civic Design identified several changes to better meet service guidelines and ensure that vote by mail ballots are successfully delivered. Utilizing these uniform guidelines can assist in statewide voter education efforts, ensure voters receive their materials timely, and aid voters in understanding the materials that are sent to them. As many voters will experience voting by mail for the first time, the Secretary of State’s office encourages counties to utilize the resources provided by the Center for Civic Design to assist in a successful rollout of increased vote-by-mail voting.

The Center for Civic Design has provided updated USPS templates (PDF), InDesign templates of the outgoing (ZIP) and return (ZIP) envelopes, and an updated informational USPS flyer (PDF) for counties to use in implementing this updated universal design. They have also provided sample voter information inserts (PDF) to use in county vote-by-mail packages and an updated color palette (PDF). You may find these updated templates and more by visiting the Center for Civic Design's website.

 

Historical Vote-By-Mail Ballot Statistics 

The Secretary of State maintains the following historical statistics for vote-by-mail usage:

*Please note the individual county elections offices provided these numbers. Because not all counties provided information, no complete statewide data is available.