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Vote-by-Mail FAQs

Ballots are mailed 29 days before an election. You can expect to receive your vote-by-mail shortly after this date.

Yes. You can drop off your voted ballot at any Vote Center or ballot drop box in the State of California, by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. Your ballot will be mailed to the county identified on the return envelope.

No. All valid vote-by-mail ballots are counted in every election in California, regardless of the outcome or closeness of any race.

All ballots returned by mail must be post-marked on or before Election Day, and be received by the election’s official no later than 7 days after the election.

The deadline to update your address is 15 days before Election Day.

Yes. Please make sure to include the original vote-by-mail ballot and return envelope with your signature.

You will need to complete a Replacement Vote-by-Mail Ballot Application form here – ocvote.gov/replacement.

The deadline to have a replacement vote-by-mail ballot mailed to you is 7 days before an election. If you require a replacement vote-by-mail ballot after this date, you can obtain one in-person at an Orange County Vote Center or by visiting the Registrar of Voters’ office at 1300 S. Grand Ave., Building C, Santa Ana, CA  92705.

Yes, you can obtain a replacement ballot for yourself to take home from any Orange County Vote Center.

You can obtain an Application to Provide Vote-By-Mail Ballot to Representative and have them pick up only at the Orange County Register of Voters, 1300 S. Grand Ave, Building C, Santa Ana, CA 92705. The form can be found here - ocvote.gov/replacement.

You can cross out the contest for which you would like to reflect a different selection and mark the correct box. However, do not initial it or put any identifying marks on your ballot. You can also vote in-person at any Orange County Vote Center.

Being registered under the Voter’s Choice Act, you will have the option to vote at home or in-person. If you see “Permanent Vote-by-Mail” on your status, you are set to receive the official ballot by mail. You still have the option of voting at a Vote Center or at the Orange County Registrar of Voters’ office if you prefer to vote in-person.

No, your party affiliation will not be reflected on your vote-by-mail ballot.

You may contact the Orange County Registrar of Voters’ office at (714) 567-7600 to update your mailing address. You do not need to re-register to update your mailing address.

Ballots returned via a secure drop box or through the mail, start processing as soon as they are received in our office. The initial results on Election Night at 8:05 p.m. reflect  the majority of the vote-by-mail ballots that have been received in our office prior to Election Day.

You can request a replacement vote-by-mail ballot by completing a Replacement Vote-by-Mail Ballot Application form here – ocvote.gov/replacement . You can also vote in-person at any Orange County Vote Center.

To ensure your signature is up to date, you will need to re-register. You can pick-up the California Voter Registration form at the Post Office, DMV, library, or any City Hall. You can also re-register online at https://www.ocvote.gov/registration/register-to-vote. If you would like a California Voter Registration form mailed to you, simply call the Orange County Registrar of Voters’ office at (714) 567-7600.

Yes, we can mail your ballot to any address within the U.S., and to most countries outside of the U.S.  If you need your ballot mailed to a different mailing address than what we have on record, you can update your address from this link: https://www.ocvote.gov/registration/keeping-your-registration-up-to-date/changes-to-your-voting-record. You can also call our office at (714) 567-7600.

No. You do not need to bring the vote-by-mail ballot you received in the mail in order to vote in-person at a Vote Center. Once you have voted at the Vote Center, your original vote-by-mail ballot will be voided.

The deadline to hand-deliver your ballot is prior to 8pm on Election Day.

You can use your vote-by-mail return envelope to authorize someone to return it for you. You will have this person print and sign their name on the envelope and indicate his/her relationship to you.

Yes, you may vote a Remote Accessible Vote-by-Mail ballot that allows you to access your ballot electronically by visiting ocvote.gov/ravbm, if you are qualified to do so. The Remote Accessible Vote-By-Mail ballot provides voters the option to request a Vote-By-Mail ballot to be delivered electronically. Initially this process was only available to voters with disabilities and overseas voters, however, beginning in 2022, this option is now available to all voters for every election. You will be able to download your electronic ballot, mark it on your computer or your own assistive device, then print and return the ballot in an envelope following the instructions included with the ballot. If you have any questions on this process, please call the Registrar of Voters’ office at (714) 567-7600.