On this page: 

• How to vote by mail
• Status of your Vote-By-Mail ballot
• Where's My Ballot?
• California Late Vote-By-Mail Ballot Application
• Military & overseas Vote-By-Mail voting

How to Vote 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. In order for your ballot to be counted, you must fill out the authorization section found on the outside of your ballot envelope.

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.

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 Late Vote-By-Mail Ballot Application

If you failed to receive your vote-by-mail ballot or you have lost or destroyed your original vote-by-mail ballot, and you are unable to vote in person at the polls, you may apply in writing for a late vote-by-mail ballot. This application will need to be provided in person to the county elections official by you or your representative. (Elec. Code, § 3021.)

Once you mark your ballot, fill out and sign the return envelope, you can personally or through your authorized representative, submit your ballot either to your elections official or any polling place within your jurisdiction.

The California Late Vote-by-Mail Ballot Application Form can be found here:

• English (PDF)
• Spanish (PDF)
• Chinese (PDF)
• Hindi (PDF)
• Japanese (PDF)
• Khmer (PDF)
• Korean (PDF)
• Tagalog (PDF)
• Thai (PDF)
• Vietnamese (PDF)

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.