The Registrar of Voters Office will begin mailing out the Vote-by-mail ballots starting Tuesday, October 9, 2018. If you are interested in voting my mail, the deadline to complete your application and request a Vote-by-Mail ballot is Tuesday, October 30, 2018.
Any registered voter may vote using a vote-by-mail ballot instead of going to the polls on Election Day. A voter may request a vote-by-mail ballot for a single election or permanent vote-by-mail voter (formerly referred to as absentee ballot).
Requesting a Vote-By-Mail Ballot
You may use the application printed on the voter information guide that is mailed to you by the Registrar of Voters Office or you can complete on-line, print and mail to the Registrar of Voters Office, at https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/vote-by-mail/pdf/vote-by-mail-application.pdf.
The application is also available in multiple languages
• Español - Spanish (https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/vote-by-mail/pdf/vote-by-mail-application-es.pdf_
• 中文 - Chinese (https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/vote-by-mail/pdf/vote-by-mail-application-zh.pdf)
• 한국어 - Korean (https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/vote-by-mail/pdf/vote-by-mail-application-ko.pdf)
• Tagalog (https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/vote-by-mail/pdf/vote-by-mail-application-tg.pdf)
• Tiếng Việt - Vietnamese (https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/vote-by-mail/pdf/vote-by-mail-application-vi.pdf)
Voting By Mail
Once your application is processed, your ballot will be mailed to you by the Registrar of Voters Office. After you have voted on your ballot review the information, make sure it is properly marked, insert your ballot in the envelope provided, and sign and complete the information required on the envelope.
You may return your voted ballot by
1. Mailing it to the Registrar of Voters Office or to any of the Early Voting Centers
• 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 3 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 your county 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.
Status of your Vote-By-Mail Ballot
California Elections Code section 3017(c) requires county elections officials to establish procedures to track and confirm the receipt of voted vote-by-mail ballots and to make this information available by means of an online access system using the county's elections division web site at www.ocvote.com.
Types of Vote-by-Mail Voters
Voting-by-mail allows voters to obtain and submit their ballots for any election by mail. It’s easy to request a vote-by-mail ballot:
• Permanent vote-by-mail voters do not need to request a ballot; one will automatically be mailed to those voters for future elections.
• A one-time request for a vote-by-mail ballot is election specific. This type of application is only valid for one election.
It is important to note that the voted ballot must be received no later than three days after Election Day, but it must be signed and dated no later than Election Day to be counted.
Military & Overseas Vote-By-Mail Voting
As a military or overseas voter, in order to receive your election materials and vote when you are absent from your county while serving and/or living overseas, you need to apply for a vote-by-mail ballot by completing the online voter registration application or by completing the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). The FPCA is available from the Federal Voting Assistance Program.
Register to Vote
Before you may request a vote-by-mail ballot, you must be a registered voter. If you believe you are already registered, you can verify your registration online at www.OCVote.com .
If you are not already registered, you can register online at www.RegisterToVote.ca.gov. As part of registering to vote, you are given the option to become a “permanent vote-by-mail voter,” which means you would automatically receive a ballot in the mail before each election.
Information provided by the City of Santa Ana as a public service announcement; is non-partisan and does not endorse any candidate. If you have any questions, please contact the Santa Ana Clerk of the Council Office at (714) 647-6520, during regular business hours.
###
