Reporting by Daniella Segura, USA Today Network/Palm Springs Desert Sun
California’s midterm election is less than a week away.
Voters will be asked to choose the Golden State’s next governor and decide on a slate of ballot measures, including an initiative for a one-time wealth tax on the state’s billionaires and a measure that would require voters to show a government-issued ID to cast a ballot in elections.
Voters who want to track their ballots can do so through California’s statewide ballot-tracking service, Where’s My Ballot.
The service, powered by BallotTrax, lets voters see when their vote‑by‑mail ballot is mailed, received, and counted.
Here’s how to sign up for Where’s My Ballot.
How to track your ballot in California
California offers a statewide ballot‑tracking service called “Where’s My Ballot?” The service, powered by BallotTrax, lets voters see when their vote‑by‑mail ballot is mailed, received, and counted.
Voters can sign up for the service by visiting the BallotTrax website.
Once you arrive on the webpage, you can navigate to the form on the right side of the webpage, where you will be prompted to provide the following:
- First and last name
- Date of birth
- Residential ZIP code
You can then click “register/log in” and be taken to a contact preferences page. From there, you can select what kinds of alerts you would like to opt into, including email, text, or phone updates.
The updates include:
- When a ballot has been delivered
- The date that a voter’s ballot is expected to be delivered to the voter
- If a voter’s ballot is returned as undeliverable to the county elections official by the USPS
- When a voter’s completed ballot has been received by the county
- Whether a voter’s completed ballot has been accepted, or the reason why the ballot could not be accepted, and instructions on the steps the voter can take in order to have the ballot accepted
- The deadline for a voter to return his or her ballot if the county has not received a voter’s completed ballot by the specified dates, as determined by the county elections official
You can also limit the hours during which messages can be sent, as well as choose from 10 different language preferences.
The website should then take you to a page that shows the status of your ballot, such as when your ballot was mailed, or if it has been delivered to your address.
After signing up for the Where’s My Ballot service, you should get confirmation via email, text, or phone, depending on which alerts you’ve opted to receive.
What to do if you don’t get a ballot (or something’s wrong)
If you have not received your ballot in the mail, you’ll want to check your registration, as registered voters started getting ballots in the mail in early October.
You confirm you are an active registered voter and that your mailing address is accurate by visiting the California Secretary of State’s “My Voter Status” webpage.
You can also check with your county election office. You can find a list of county election offices, along with their addresses and phone numbers, on the California Secretary of State’s website.
If you’ve confirmed that you are a registered voter and your address is correct, but still do not receive your ballot in the mail, you can go in person to your county elections office, vote center, or polling place to get a replacement ballot or vote there, as the deadline to request one be sent by mail passed on Oct. 27.
If your ballot is damaged, lost, or you make a mistake, you’ll want to surrender your spoiled ballot at a vote center or polling place and receive a new one, or vote provisionally if needed.
The bottom line: If you don’t see a ballot or have a problem with the one you received, contact your county elections office as soon as possible, or go in person to a vote center or elections office to get a new one.
When is California’s general election?
California’s general election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
According to state officials, the last day to register to vote for California’s general election was Monday, Oct. 19, but eligible voters who have missed the deadline can opt for same-day voter registration, also known as conditional voter registration.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun.
Related: Missing a ballot for California’s election? Here’s what to do
