Millions of Vote-by-Mail Ballots on the way to all registered California voters; early voting at county elections offices
All active registered California voters are being sent a vote-by-mail ballot with a prepaid, first-class postage return envelope for the Nov. 8, 2022, General Election.
“We’re urging all Californians to vote early this year. You don’t have to wait until Election Day because voting-by-mail makes it easy as soon as you get your ballots,” said Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber. “Every person who votes early will help keep lines shorter and reduce wait times at in-person voting locations on Election Day.”
The vote-by-mail ballot voting period begins as soon as vote-by-mail ballots are in the mail, which begins today. In-person early voting is also now available at every county election office. One or more voting locations in many counties will be open prior to Election Day. Voters can find a nearby drop box or early voting location at caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov.
Voters should update their status if they have moved their residence or have changed their name or party affiliation. If you’re not sure of your registration status, visit the Secretary of State’s My Voter Status tool at: VoterStatus.sos.ca.gov.
Tips for Returning Your Ballot
Voters have multiple safe, secure, and reliable options for returning their ballot.
Mail
Every vote-by-mail ballot comes with a first-class prepaid postage return envelope.
Before returning your ballot, you must remember to sign and date the return envelope provided with your vote-by-mail ballot. Ballots that are returned by mail must be postmarked on or before Nov. 8, 2022, Election Day and received by county elections officials no later than 7 days after the election.
Drop Boxes
All counties offer secure drop boxes to return vote-by-mail ballots. You can drop off your ballot at any polling place, vote center, or your county elections office, through Election Day. Find drop box locations at caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov
In-Person
Voting locations will offer voter registration, replacement ballots, accessible voting machines, and language assistance. Find in-person voting locations at caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov
Language Preference
If you would like to update your language preference for election materials, go to voterstatus.sos.ca.gov.
Voter Information Guide
The state Voter Information Guide can help you make decisions about the candidates and issues on the statewide ballot for the Nov. 8, 2022, General Election. In addition to information about how to cast your ballot, this guide includes statewide candidate statements, information about state propositions and your rights as a California voter.
Vote-by-Mail Ballot Tracking
The Secretary of State’s “Where’s My Ballot?” tracking tool is available statewide. All California voters can now sign-up at WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov to receive automated notifications about their vote-by-mail ballot by email, text or voice call.
Vote-by-Mail Security
Vendors who print ballots for California elections must be certified by the Secretary of State.
- All ballots have specific paper types and watermarks.
- Every vote-by-mail ballot return envelope has a unique bar code that elections officials scan.
- Vote-by-mail ballots cannot be forwarded by the USPS.
- Every vote-by-mail return envelope must be signed by the voter. A voter’s signature on the vote-by-mail ballot return envelope is compared against the voter’s registration record. If a signature is missing or does not match the registration record, elections officials will reach out to the voter. If the voter does not respond and provide a missing/corrected signature, the ballot will not count.
- California county elections officials check each and every vote-by-mail ballot that is cast to see if the voter has already cast a ballot elsewhere.
