How To Vote By Mail

How to Vote by Mail

Every active registered voter will automatically receive a ballot in the mail nearly a month before Election Day. You can make voting decisions and complete your mail ballot in the comfort of your home.

Vote by Mail Steps

Voter Instructions

STEP 1 VOTE

  • Follow the instructions at the top of your official ballot. If your ballot is damaged or you make a mistake, call (858) 565-5800 for help. Do not initial or sign your ballot to make a correction.

 

STEP 2 PREPARE

  • Insert and seal your ballot inside your return envelope.

 

STEP 3 SIGN, DATE, & MAIL

  • Date and sign your own name on your return envelope. DO NOT PRINT.
  • Your signature is needed for us to count your ballot. Sign your name just like when you registered to vote. Or, if you registered to vote at the DMV, sign your name as it appears on your driver's license or identification card.
  • Mail your ballot back promptly to ensure timely delivery.
  • Your return envelope must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by the Registrar’s office within seven days following Election Day.
Where's My Ballot?

 

Return Your Ballot to a Trusted Source

Once you complete your ballot, you can return it:

  • By mail
  • At a secure Ballot Drop Box Location
  • At a Vote Center near you

Replacement Vote-by-Mail Ballot Application

If you have not received your vote-by-mail ballot or lost or destroyed your original, you can request a replacement using any of the following methods:

Application to Provide Vote-by-Mail Ballot to Representative

If you are unable to obtain a replacement vote-by-mail ballot on your own, you may appoint a representative to obtain that ballot.

Print and complete the Application to Provide Vote-By-Mail Ballot to Representative.

This application must be signed by the voter and submitted in person to the Registrar of Voters by your representative (EC 3014(b)).

Track Your Ballot

You can confirm that your mail ballot was received by the Registrar of Voters by filling out this form »

Where's My Ballot?

Where’s My Ballot?

Where's My Ballot? lets you know when your ballot is mailed to you and when it is received back by the Registrar of Voters. Sign up here.

 

    Remote Accessible Vote by Mail (RAVBM)

  • Any voter may request and receive access to a Remote Accessible Vote by Mail System
  • Commonly used by voters with a disability or voters deployed overseas serving in the military
  • Allows a voter to download a ballot on a personal computer and mark it privately and independently using their own assistive technology
  • After marking their ballot, the voter will have an option to review their choices
  • After reviewing, the voter will then print and return their ballot using the printable envelope template included in their RAVBM instructions
  • Like any mail ballot, RAVBM ballots must be sealed inside an envelope, signed, and returned by mail or at any Voter Center or Ballot Drop Box
  • Remote Accessible Vote by Mail Disability Rights California PSA

Interested in using the Remote Accessible Vote-by-Mail System? Sign up here

Questions? Call (858) 565-5800, toll-free at (800) 696-0136 or email Vote-by-Mail

Military and Overseas Voting

As a military or overseas registered voter there are several different ways you can receive and return your voted ballot. Learn more »

 

flag_header