County elections officials mail ballots to all active registered voters about a month before the election. You choose whether to vote in person at your voting location or return the ballot you received either by mail or by dropping it off.

• By Mail: If you wish to use the mailed ballot instead of voting in person, fill it out and mail it back early so that it is postmarked no later than Election Day. You do not need a stamp to mail back your ballot in the return envelope provided.
• Dropoff: You may drop off your ballot at any voting location in your county. Your county will also open secure ballot drop-off locations starting about a month before Election Day.
• In Person: For voting in person on Election Day, the polls are open from 7 am to 8 pm.

Early Voting

You may also be able to vote in person before Election Day. Check caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov.

Watch How to Return Your Completed Vote-by-Mail Ballot.

If you failed to receive your ballot in the mail, you have lost or destroyed your original ballot, and you are unable to vote in person at the polls, you may apply for a replacement ballot with this form or by contacting your County Elections Office.

Same-Day Registration and Voting

Missed the voter registration deadline? No problem. You can still register and vote in the election at any voting location up to and through Election Day. If you look up and go to your assigned voting location, then your ballot will be sure to include all the contests on which you’re allowed to vote.

If you need to register after the deadline and want to vote from home, contact your County Elections Office to find out how to register and get a vote-by-mail ballot through Election Day. Learn more from the Secretary of State.

Elections officials process applications 29 days to 7 days before an election. You may request a Vote-By-Mail ballot more than 29 days before an election but not fewer than 7 days in advance. But if it’s 6 or fewer days before the election, you may qualify for an emergency ballot. 

If you are voting by mail for the first time and did not provide your driver's license number, CA ID number, or the last 4 digits of your Social Security number on your registration application, you must provide a photocopy of the above ID with your vote-by-mail application. Other forms of ID include a recent utility bill, the county Voter Information Guide you received from your county elections office, or any other governmental agency document (like your passport, driver's license, student ID, etc.). If your ID cannot be verified, your vote-by-mail ballot will not be opened.

You can find a complete list of acceptable IDs here.

Track your Vote-By-Mail Ballot

You can track the status of your vote-by-mail ballot by visiting the "My Voter Status" website and the Where's My Ballot website.

Late Vote-By-Mail Ballot Requests 

If you would like to request a Vote-By-Mail ballot after 7 days before the election, you will need to apply in person at your county elections office. Your county elections office may allow you to apply over the phone; just call to see if your office allows telephone applications.

Even if you receive your vote-by-mail ballot, you can still vote at a polling place on Election Day. Bring your unused vote-by-mail ballot to your local polling place anytime between 7:00 am and 8:00 pm. on Election Day and give it to a poll worker, who will exchange it for a polling place ballot you can use instead. If you do not bring your vote-by-mail ballot with you, you will not lose your opportunity to vote at a polling place on Election Day. If the poll worker is able to verify that you have not returned your voted ballot, then you will be given a regular ballot. If not, a poll worker will provide you with a provisional ballot, which will be counted after your county elections official has confirmed you are registered to vote in that county and did not vote more than once in that election.

Overseas citizens and U.S. military personnel can find information on how to register to vote and request a Vote-By-Mail ballot at the Overseas Vote Foundation.

All registered voters will receive mail ballots no later than 18 days before Election Day. You must request a mail ballot by the 8th day before an election in order to receive your ballot in the mail. The County Clerk will then mail your ballot within one business day after receiving your request. You can sign up to track your mail ballot on your Secretary of State website.  

Completed ballots must be received by the county clerk and recorder no later than 7pm on Election Day. Postmarks do not count. Voters are encouraged to drop off their ballots at designated drop off sites or mail the ballot in time to be received by the 7pm deadline. Contact your county clerk and recorder for drop-off locations.

Voters still have the option to vote in person at the Voter Service and Polling Centers (VSPC). You may surrender your mail ballot when you vote in person. Contact your county clerk and recorder for information about your polling center. VSOCs are located in each county and provide the following services:

• Registration at any time up to and including Election Day
• Change of address if registered elsewhere in Colorado
• Drop off of your completed ballot
• Surrender ballot to vote in person

If you ballot is spoiled or you never received it, you can get a replacement ballot from your county elections office, or vote in person at the VSPC.

For information on the types of ID needed when voting, click here.

All registered voters will automatically receive a mail ballot about 18 days before the election. The ballots are mailed to the address on your registration form, so if you have moved, changed your name or any other updates, please be sure to update your voter registration.

All voted ballots must be received (either by mail, in person, or at a drop box) by 7pm on Election Day in order to be counted.

You can sign up to track your mail ballot on your Office of Elections website.  

For more information on the vote-by-mail process, please click here.

If you are a registered voter in Illinois, you may apply to be added to a permanent vote-by-mail list. If your application for permanent vote-by-mail status is accepted you will:

• Receive an official vote by mail ballot for all subsequent elections
• Remain on the permanent vote by mail list until you provide a written request to be removed or if there are any changes to your voter registration status

A notice of this new option will be sent to all qualified voters before the next general election along with the application to opt-in. Voters will still have the option to vote-by-mail for a single election. The permanent vote-by-mail application will be available online closer to the next election here. 

Some jurisdictions in Minnesota hold elections by mail instead of voting at polling places. All non-metropolitan townships and cities with less than 400 registered voters located outside of the Minneapolis/St. Paul seven-county metropolitan area can choose to hold elections by mail. If you are an active registered voter in a mail ballot precinct, you will be sent a mail ballot to your residence without having to complete an absentee ballot application.

Other options for mail ballot precinct voters on Election Day:

Mail ballot voters on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. can:

• Return their voted mail ballot in-person to their county elections office
• Have someone else return their voted mail ballot to their county elections office (limit of three others’ ballots can be returned).
• Take their unvoted ballot packet to their county election office, vote it, and turn it in.
• Go to their county election office and inform them that your mail ballot was spoiled, lost, thrown away, etc. and:
  • Have a replacement ballot issued
  • Vote the replacement ballot
  • Turn it in
• Vote an absentee ballot because they are currently not an “active” registered voter on Election Day

For more information on mail ballot precincts click here. 

Mail ballot elections do not involve the use of polling places since all qualified active and provisionally registered voters are mailed ballots on the same day without having to request them. Any municipal (city or town) election or district election (school, fire, water and sewer, etc.) can be conducted by mail ballot, if agreed to by the governing body.

Other options for returning a mail ballot:

You may still choose to vote in person in the election administrator’s office as soon as ballots are available. Or, you can make a signed written request that the ballot be mailed to an address other than the address that appears on your registration application if you will be away during a mail ballot election. 

You also have the option to drop your ballot off at the county election office or, at other places of deposit noted in your mail ballot materials.

Nevada is now a vote by mail state, so all registered voters will receive a ballot by mail. You may opt-out from receiving a mail-in ballot if you wish to vote in person. Do not mail a ballot and vote in person. Voters who vote in person will have two options:

1. Early Voting - Early voting begins on 17 days before the election and ends 4 days before the election. Days and hours of operation vary by county.  A list of early voting polling places by county can be found here.  In order to avoid lines on Election Day, all voters who wish to vote in person are encouraged to vote early.
2. Election Day - Polling locations open at 7:00 am on Election Day and remain open until 7:00 pm.  As long as you are in line by 7:00 pm, you will be allowed to vote.  A list of Election Day polling places by county can be found here.

Oregon has a vote by mail process. Instead of using traditional polling places where voters go to cast ballots on Election Day, a ballot is mailed to each registered voter. The ballot is then voted and returned to the county election office to be counted.

Ballots will be mailed any time between 14 to 18 days before the election. After it is voted, the ballot may be mailed or hand-delivered to the county election office. In order to be counted, A ballot is valid if received or postmarked by 8:00 pm on election day.

You can sign up to track your mail ballot on your Secretary of State website.  

If you are a registered voter, your ballot will be automatically sent to you. You can call 1-866-ORE-VOTE (1-866-673-8683) or contact your county election office to make sure your vote was received.You will need to sign the return envelope of your ballot. Your signature will be matched with your voter registration card to verify your identity.

List of drop-boxes.

All registered voters are eligible to request to vote by mail beginning in April 2020! You can request your mail ballot online, through a paper form (found in English and Espanol), in person at your County Election office or through a signed letter to your County Election Office.

You must provide your PA driver's license or photo ID to register online.

All mail-in ballot applications must be received by 5pm the Tuesday before the election in order to be considered for the next election. If your request is approved you will receive a mail ballot with instructions from your County Election Office.

After applying, you can track the status of your ballot here.

You can request to be added to the annual mail-ballot request list where you receive an application to renew your mail ballot request each year. Once your application is approved, you will automatically receive ballots for the remainder of the year and you do not need to send an application for each election. Contact your County Election Office for more information.

Utah is primarily a vote-by-mail state, meaning that almost all registered voters will receive their ballots in the mail before Election Day. Mail in ballots must be postmarked by the day before the election in order to be counted. Or you can drop your ballot off on Election Day at you Voting Center or any Ballot Drop Boxes in your county. You can sign up to track your mail ballot on your Lieutenant Governor website.  

Please contact your County Election Official for more information.

Not sure if you can vote by mail? Click here to enter your address and see if you're eligible to vote by mail.

Washington State votes by mail. Your ballot is mailed to you at least 18 days before each election. In order to receive your ballot your voter registration address must be current. You can update your address online.

Your ballot packet will include a ballot, a secrecy envelope and a return envelope. If you need a replacement ballot contact your county election officials.

The ballot must be

• Postmarked no later than Election day; or
• Returned to a designated ballot drop box by 8pm on Election Day; or
• Returned in person to your county elections department by 8pm on Election Day

You can still vote in person on or before Election Day. Each county will have a voting center, which will be open during business hours beginning 18 days before the election and ending at 8pm on Election Day. You can find your voting center here.

You can sign up to track your mail ballot on your Secretary of State website. 

If you fail to sign the ballot declaration, or the signature on the ballot declaration does not match the signature in your voter registration record, your county elections department will contact you.