California registered voters are expected to receive their ballots soon, with counties set to begin mailing out “voting packets” before October 7th (29 days before the election day).
Voters can fill out, sign, and return their ballots before the “Election Day” on November 5th (the last day when postmarks on ballots are effective) without the need for postage. Signatures are required on the ballots, which will be compared to the signatures on the voter registration cards to verify authenticity.
On Election Day, voters can either vote in person at polling stations open from 7 am to 8 pm or drop their ballots into designated drop boxes, which will become available around October 7th.
Residents needing to update their addresses must do so before October 21st. Eligible voters can register either before or on Election Day itself.
All county voting centers will provide ballot booth forms for voters who wish to vote in person (for exchanging mail-in ballots). Voters without their mail-in ballots will be required to fill out provisional ballots, which will be counted once county officials confirm the original ballot was not submitted.
Voters can track the status of their ballots on the California Secretary of State’s website or standalone state websites. The ballot status can be obtained via email, text message, or voice message, including information on estimated delivery time, actual delivery time, when the county received the ballot, acceptance or rejection reasons, steps to ensure the ballot is counted, and the deadline for submission if the ballot has not arrived.
Registered voters who do not receive their “voting packets” or have lost/damaged packets can contact their county election office or fill out forms provided by the state to request replacements.
California first introduced “absentee voting” in 1920 but only allowed it for special circumstances where voters were unable to vote in person. In 1962 (when California first started to retain such data), less than 3% of voters used mail-in ballots.
In 1978, California expanded the use of mail-in ballots and significantly broadened mail-in voting with the passage of the Voter’s Choice Act in 2016. According to data from the California Secretary of State, approximately 58% of ballots in California were cast by mail in 2016. In 2022, nearly 10 million Californians chose to vote by mail, accounting for nearly 90% of all votes.
In a press release on October 1st, it was mentioned that San Francisco was one of the first counties in California to announce the imminent mailing of ballots. It is expected that over 500,000 ballots will be delivered to registered voters’ mailboxes in the first week of October.
Amid ongoing discussions across the U.S. regarding election integrity and mail-in voting, county officials have stated that they prioritize safety and fraud prevention.
As per a press release from the county elections office, Los Angeles County will begin mailing out voting packets on October 3rd.
On a national scale, some states, including Delaware and North Carolina, began sending out voting packets 60 days before the election, while Kentucky and Pennsylvania sent them out 50 days before, and residents have already received their mail-in ballots.
Voters in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Oregon, among others, face the longest wait as their ballots are mailed out approximately 20 days before Election Day.
Additionally, this year’s California election is impacted by SB1174, a bill signed by Governor Newsom. The bill, introduced by State Senator Dave Min, prohibits local governments from enacting laws requiring voter identification. SB1174 was in response to Huntington Beach, where voters approved Measure A in March, requiring election officials to check voters’ identities at polling places.
While voter registration in California requires identification such as a Social Security number or driver’s license, government-issued IDs are not needed when casting a vote. ◇