Drop off your ballot in an open voting location<\/strong><\/p>\n The first vote centers open <\/a>May 23 in certain counties, with more early voting locations opening May 30.<\/p>\n No. If you\u2019re registered to vote, you\u2019ll be receiving a mail-in ballot by default<\/a> for the 2026 primary, without requesting it. But voting by mail is still just one option that\u2019s open to you.<\/p>\n You can still vote in person, either at an early voting location before Election Day or on Election Day, June 2, itself. Early voting locations will open starting May 23.<\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s important to note that each county is slightly different in how they\u2019d prefer for you to address a mistake on your ballot, and will often provide specific details about corrections on<\/em> the ballot itself. If you have a specific question about your ballot that isn\u2019t answered here, you can always contact your local registrar of voters for advice and instructions.<\/p>\n What if I have problems with my signature?<\/strong><\/p>\n When you\u2019re done filling out your ballot, you must sign the envelope. But two big mistakes people make with their signatures are:<\/p>\n Why wouldn\u2019t<\/em> your signature match the one on file? If you registered to vote at a young age, maybe your signature has changed over time. Or perhaps you registered to vote at the DMV and provided your signature on a screen with a stylus, which doesn\u2019t quite replicate how you\u2019d make your signature with a pen on paper.<\/p>\n If you registered this way, one simple way to avoid any signature problems is to take a quick glance at the signature that\u2019s on your driver\u2019s license or state ID \u2014 because that\u2019s the one you want your ballot signature to match.<\/p>\n Even if you didn\u2019t register at the DMV, that signature on your most recent license or state ID is still very likely the one to emulate. That\u2019s because when you register to vote online, your county elections office electronically requests a copy of the signature the DMV currently<\/em> has for you, and this information is regularly updated.<\/p>\n To further set your mind at rest, know that California isn\u2019t an \u201cexact match\u201d state, and doesn\u2019t demand that voters\u2019 signatures 100% replicate the signature that\u2019s on file.<\/p>\n What if I just don\u2019t know my \u2018correct\u2019 signature I\u2019m registered to vote with?<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019re really<\/em> worried about the signature on your envelope not matching the signature you\u2019re registered to vote with, there are two good solutions.<\/p>\n One: If it\u2019s on or before May 18, you can reregister to vote with your current signature<\/a>, to be sure that the state now has your most recent one on file. If you are reregistering after May 18, you\u2019d need to complete the same-day voter registration<\/a> process (also known as \u201cconditional voting\u201d) and request your ballot in person at your county elections office or polling location.<\/p>\n In 2021, Kim Alexander, president of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation<\/a>, told us there\u2019s another solution if you\u2019re worried about your signature: Go vote in person, if you\u2019re able.<\/p>\n That\u2019s because the signature goes only on your ballot\u2019s envelope<\/em> \u2014 and if you\u2019re voting in person, there\u2019s no envelope, because that ballot then goes straight into the ballot box without needing that envelope at all.<\/p>\n \u201cSo if you want that satisfaction of seeing your ballot drop in the box and know that it\u2019s not going to get held up because of some signature issue, you can go and vote in person,\u201d Alexander said.<\/p>\n I already mailed my ballot, but now I\u2019m paranoid about my signature. What if I messed it up?<\/strong><\/p>\n Rest assured: There\u2019s a whole system in place to help you correct your mistake.<\/p>\n If your county\u2019s election office detects a signature mismatch on your ballot, they\u2019ll reach out to you via mail to verify and work with you to correct it, so that your ballot can be counted after all. It\u2019s called \u201ccuring\u201d a ballot.<\/p>\n This system is also applied when it looks like a member of a voter\u2019s family might have signed their ballot, instead of the voter. This happens a surprising<\/em> amount when one household has several voters who all receive a ballot in the mail.<\/p>\n One way to get peace of mind: Sign up to track your ballot<\/a>, and you\u2019ll find out about any issues with your ballot or your signature quickly.<\/p>\n First, don\u2019t panic. People make mistakes on ballots and find good ways to correct them.<\/p>\n Counties give different directions to voters about what to do if they make a mistake (remember: Read the instructions!), but you can usually simply x out the choice you didn\u2019t intend.<\/p>\n The job of county elections officials \u2014 once they\u2019ve verified your signature \u2014 is to make sure your ballot can be read correctly. If that means that your corrections on your ballot have resulted in readability issues, officials working in teams of two will actually remake it for you according to the intent you\u2019ve signaled with your corrections.<\/p>\n Some counties, like Alameda, ask that you actually contact them first if you make a serious mistake \u2014 including voting for the wrong candidate \u2014 so they can send you a replacement ballot. So, wherever you live, it\u2019s a good idea to check with your local elections office first to see what they<\/em> recommend if you made a mistake.<\/p>\n And remember, there\u2019s always this option \u2026<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve made a big mistake on your ballot \u2014 too big to fix \u2014 your best plan of action may be to focus on getting a new one. And that\u2019s totally OK. You can:<\/p>\n You can also do this if you\u2019ve accidentally damaged your ballot in some way (coffee spills happen).<\/p>\n First off, that date should be the date you signed your envelope \u2014 not your date of birth.<\/p>\n But if you\u2019re worried you messed up the date, don\u2019t worry. Elections officials say that the date they\u2019re really<\/em> looking for is the date that the ballot is postmarked, to make sure it was submitted on time.<\/p>\n Election officials will only truly scrutinize the date you\u2019ve written if they receive your ballot after<\/em> Election Day.<\/p>\n \u201cLike maybe you mailed it Monday before Election Day,\u201d John Gardner, assistant registrar of voters for Solano County, told us in 2020. \u201cThat\u2019s when we have to start looking at postmarks on the ballot, or date that the voter signed the envelope, to determine if we can count the ballot or not.\u201d<\/p>\n And if you haven\u2019t mailed your envelope yet, it\u2019s an easy fix: Just clearly cross out the incorrect date on the envelope and write in the correct one above it.<\/p>\n Getting physical assistance with filling out your ballot from someone you trust is always fine, whether you\u2019re voting at home or at a voting site.<\/p>\n You just need to make sure your signature is your own and matches the one you\u2019re registered to vote with.<\/p>\n Disabled voters can also choose to use the Remote Accessible Vote-by-Mail<\/a> system to vote privately and independently at home, using their usual assistive device on their home computer to fill out the ballot on their screen and then print and mail it.<\/p>\n Every voting location in California is also equipped with an accessible voting unit. Here, voters with blindness or low vision or who have a disability that limits their dexterity will be able to use the assistive device of their choice that allows them to vote privately and independently.<\/p>\n Remember, one big reason that ballots get disqualified in elections is that voters mail them too late: either too late on Election Day itself (after U.S. Postal Service mailboxes have already been collected), or after Election Day.<\/p>\n To be counted in this election, your ballot must be postmarked on Election Day, June 2, at the latest. Your ballot has seven days to reach your county elections office.<\/p>\n So in this election, it\u2019s as crucial as ever to make sure you have a plan for voting on time \u2014 and if you\u2019re not voting in person, that means making sure you get your ballot into a mailbox or into a secure voting drop box, at a polling location or your county elections office, by the time polls close on June 2.<\/p>\n Make sure you\u2019re filling out and signing the ballot and envelope with your<\/em> name on it:<\/strong> It\u2019s common to see partners or roommates accidentally mix up their ballots. So make sure you\u2019re signing the document that bears your name.<\/p>\n Make sure you use a black or blue pen:<\/strong> It reads better, and it doesn\u2019t slow workers down when they have to check to see what voter intent was. (Don\u2019t use a felt-tip or a Sharpie that bleeds through the paper and marks other pages on your ballot.)<\/p>\n Don\u2019t mail an empty envelope:<\/strong> It does happen. Keeping your envelope and your ballot together in your home might be a helpful way of avoiding this problem. And of course, when you\u2019re ready to mail your ballot, make sure it\u2019s actually inside the envelope before you seal it.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t bother with a stamp:<\/strong> Your ballot envelope is postage-paid. You don\u2019t need it.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re reading this and you\u2019re worried that your ballot hasn\u2019t arrived yet, make sure you\u2019re not worrying too <\/em>early, as the deadline for counties to send out ballots is only May 4.<\/p>\n But if it gets to late-May and your ballot still hasn\u2019t materialized, don\u2019t panic: You have options. Here\u2019s what to do:<\/p>\n Check that you\u2019re actually registered to vote \u2014 and to the right address.<\/strong><\/p>\n Input your details on the secretary of state\u2019s voter status page<\/a> to check your registration status. This will show whether you\u2019re actually registered to vote, and to which address. It should also show whether your ballot was mailed out.<\/p>\n You can also use the Where\u2019s My Ballot? tool<\/a> to check whether your ballot has been sent.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re registered to the wrong address, you can update it before May 18.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n If you update your voter registration and address using the secretary of state\u2019s voter status page<\/a> before the May 18 deadline to register online, your county will cancel the ballot that went to your old address and send you a new one.<\/p>\n And if it turns out your ballot was <\/em>missing because your voter registration wasn\u2019t updated, don\u2019t feel bad \u2014 people move all the time and forget to update their registrations accordingly.<\/p>\n The California Voter Foundation\u2019s Kim Alexander confirmed to KQED in 2021 that updating your address at the post office doesn\u2019t, in fact, update your voter registration.<\/p>\n The DMV, on the other hand, will<\/em> update your voter registration details if you update your address with them.<\/p>\n If your voter registration address was correct but your ballot never showed up, you still have options.<\/strong><\/p>\n If it\u2019s more than six days before Election Day, you can call your county elections office and ask them to send a new ballot. Find your county elections office in our contact list (below).<\/p>\n Your county elections office won\u2019t mail you a ballot six days or less before Election Day, because it can\u2019t be sure it\u2019ll reach you in time. So if you\u2019re trying to get a ballot in the immediate run-up to Election Day, go to your county elections office in person and request one at the counter.<\/p>\n From May 4, your county elections office will be open for early voting through June 2, so you could also go there in person during opening hours and vote right there at the counter. More early voting locations will be opening throughout May.<\/p>\n And remember, if you\u2019re not<\/em> actually registered to vote, you always have the option of same-day voter registration<\/a>, also known as conditional voter registration, at a voting location, where you can then fill out and submit your ballot, too.<\/p>\n Across the Bay Area, elections officials are encouraging voters to reach out \u2014 early \u2014 with any questions or concerns. Here\u2019s the contact information for your county:<\/p>\n The state also has a full list of every county elections office in California<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nDo I have<\/em> to vote by mail?<\/h2>\n
How do I fix a mistake on my ballot?<\/h2>\n
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![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.kqed.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/11\/RS59970_010_KQED_CityHallSFVoting_11082022-qut.jpg\")
![\"Voter](\"https:\/\/cdn.kqed.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/11\/002_KQED_SanJoseVoting_11082022.jpg\")
I made a mistake on my ballot. How do I fix it?<\/h2>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.kqed.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/11\/RS45375_017_KQED_SanMateo_ElectionsOffice_10212020-qut.jpg\")
What if I just want a new ballot?<\/h2>\n
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I think I put the wrong date on my envelope.<\/h2>\n
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What if I use assistive technology to complete forms?<\/h2>\n
How can I make sure my mail-in ballot gets there on time?<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.kqed.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/11\/241105-ELECTION-DAY-ALLEN-TEMPLE-MD-05-KQED.jpg\")
A few other common ballot mistakes to watch out for \u2026<\/h2>\n
My ballot is missing or hasn\u2019t arrived. What should I do?<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.kqed.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/11\/103024-Shasta-County-Election-Ballots-MG-CM-02.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.kqed.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/11\/241105-ELECTIONDAY-20-BL-KQED.jpg\")
Contact your county directly<\/h2>\n
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