Important Dates in California

• September 24th: Voter Information Guides are mailed.
• October 5th: Vote-By-Mail ballots are sent to all registered voters. 
• October 19th: Deadline to register to vote from home.
• October 30th: Vote Centers open for Early Voting. Same-Day Voter Registration permitted inside a Vote Center.
• November 3rd: Election Day!
• December 14: Electoral College votes 
• January 20: inauguration day

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 17 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 a polling place 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 into one of your county’s ballot drop boxes; 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 on your voter registration card to ensure they match. To preserve the secrecy of your ballot, the ballot will then be separated from the 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.