How to Vote YES on Prop 50

Your vote for Prop 50 matters! Here's how to make sure it gets correctly cast and counted on time. 

IMPORTANT DATES

• Oct 6: County election offices start mailing ballots to registered voters

• Oct 7: Ballot drop-off locations open

• Oct 20: LAST DAY TO REGISTER or re-register to vote in the Nov 4 Special Election!

  • You CAN same-day register on Nov 4, but your ‘conditional’ ballot won’t get counted until they verify your voter registration info

• Oct 25: Vote centers open for early in-person voting in Butte and other Voter’s Choice Act counties

• Nov 4: ELECTION DAY. Polls are open from 7 am to 8 pm.

RETURNING BALLOTS

Return your ballot by mail, or in person at a ballot drop-off location, polling place, vote center, or county election office.

• BY MAIL

  
  

  • Mail your ballot early: make sure it gets postmarked by 8 pm Nov 4. (Snail mail takes longer now–don’t risk a delay.)

  • Be sure to sign & date your Vote-By-Mail envelope! (A ballot is deemed “cast on time” if the date you sign the envelope is on or before Nov 4.)

  • NO need to add stamps. Your Vote-By-Mail ballot is postage-paid.

• IN PERSON

  
  

  • You can drop off ballots at your county elections office.

  • Find addresses, contact info, and hours for all CA elections offices here.

  • Ballots can ALSO be dropped off at ANY ballot drop-box location, ANY polling place, or ANY vote center in California before polls close at 8 pm on Nov 4.

  • The CA Secretary of State’s (SOS) Early Voting & Vote By Mail Ballot Drop-off Locations webpage will be updated in early October with more info.

• AFTER YOU CAST YOUR BALLOT

  
  

  • To get counted, your ballot had to be postmarked on or before Election Day, Nov 4, AND have gotten from the post office to the elections office on or before Nov 12.

  • The CA SOS’s “Where’s My Ballot?” tracking tool is available in every county. Sign up to track your ballot’s status by text, email, or voice call at WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov.

  • Many ballots are rejected for errors like missing or mismatched signatures. If your ballot is rejected, elections officials are required to notify you. “Curing” the error isn’t hard, but must be done quickly!

  • The California Democratic Party (CADEM) helps voters cure their rejected ballots. Questions? Call their voter hotline, 1-877-321-8683 (VOTE).

HAVE MORE QUESTIONS? 

• Check your voter status

• Contact your county’s elections office 

• Call CA SOS’s voter hotline

• For mailing questions, see CA SOS’s USPS FAQs

• See CADEM’s webpage How to Vote 

• Call CADEM’s voter hotline 1-877-321-8683 (VOTE) 

• Voting age is 18. Eligible 16- and 17-year-olds can pre-register online.

Voting is vital–but it’s not enough to win. See our article to learn how to Volunteer for YES on Prop 50!

By Heidi Rand

By Laguna Beach Democratic Club