Registration Deadline
October 20 - November 3 In-Person Same-Day Registration (deadline for registering by mail or online has passed, was October 19) Check Registration Status
Last-Minute Registration
YES Same-Day Voter Registration for registering to vote and voting at the same time, in person.
Register or re-register (and vote) in person October 20-November 2 at your County Election Office or Vote Center or on Election Day November 3 at your Polling Place.
Request Mail Ballot
All registered voters have been mailed ballots. If you don’t receive one, contact your County Election Office. It is getting late to get a ballot by mail, but still possible so, if possible, best to vote in person.
Early Voting Dates
October 5 - November 2
Early Voting Locations
How to Vote by Mail
Vote ballot with blue or black ink, insert into postage-paid envelope, sign envelope, print your name and address on the envelope, and mail ballot or deliver in person to voting center or drop-box (no postage necessary).
Mailed Ballots Deadline
Postmarked or deliver to drop-off location by November 3 @ 8pm or drop off at your polling place on November 3 by 8pm.
Election Day Vote In Person
November 3, 7am - 8pm
Election Day Polling Places
Photo ID Required
Photo ID Not Required (unless you are a first-time voter who did not provide the necessary information when you registered to vote) Remember, you can ALWAYS vote a provisional ballot if there is any question about ID or anything else.
Propositions
There are 25 ballot propositions this year. Check out CalMatters for an easy-to-use guide about each one, including what the propositions are about and what groups and organizations support and oppose each one.
The Recent Fires in Southern California
The New York Times “California Today” newsletter of October 30, 2020 published this information regarding the effect of the recent Orange County fires on ballots cast (particularly via drop boxes), voters, and voting. Written by Marie Tae McDermott.
The Blue Ridge and Silverado Fires that began this week in Orange County caused tens of thousands of residents to flee their homes and gravely injured two firefighters. Evacuation orders were lifted on Thursday and the blazes are both over 30 percent contained, according to CalFire.
Vote centers will be open for in-person voting starting on Friday morning. I spoke with Neal Kelley, chief election official for Orange County, about how voting has been affected by the two large active fires.
Have any ballots been damaged by the fires?
No. Mr. Kelley said the ballot boxes that were closed because they were in evacuation zones were later cleared out. “I had to go in with sheriff’s department escorts to be able to retrieve the ballots that were in there,” he told me. “We were able to get them out safely.”
Although the boxes were not completely unscathed, they are made out of solid steel and were able to resist high temperatures.
Have some ballot drop-off locations closed?
Ballot drop boxes have played a huge role in the elections this year. According to Mr. Kelley, over 700,000 ballots have already been returned with equal amounts of people using drop boxes and the Postal Service.
“Voters are embracing our secure drop boxes and using them in huge amounts,” he said.
Earlier this week, the authorities had to close four boxes, which were in evacuation zones. But as of Thursday, all of them have since been reopened as evacuation orders lifted.
You can go to the county’s voting website to look for drop-off locations.
Have some vote centers closed?
As fires came dangerously close to residential communities, officials closed two vote centers, Foothill Ranch Library in Irvine and the Library of the Canyons in Silverado Canyon. Both will be open to receive voters on Friday morning.
Through California’s Voter’s Choice Act model, Orange County residents aren’t tied to a particular voting location. They can cast their ballots at any vote center in the county.
Can you still vote if you left your mail-in ballot at home when you evacuated?
Voters who might have fled their homes without their mail-in ballots can still vote without them.
“They can come to one of our vote centers and we can print them a replacement vote-by-mail ballot if that’s what they choose to use,” Mr. Kelley said. “If you don’t want to use your vote-by-mail ballot, we’ll get you a ballot on demand and allow you to vote in person.”
[Read our guide to the California races to watch.]
What’s the plan to replace drop boxes and vote centers that were affected by the fires?
Even with all vote centers opening as planned, Orange County will roll out four mobile vote centers close to impacted areas on Saturday.
The mobile vote centers are trailers that can be deployed anywhere in the county and act as portable vote centers. Mr. Kelley describes them as an “office on wheels” essentially, with full ballot-on-demand and check-in capabilities.
“These mobile solutions give people an opportunity to have extra locations on top of what we have already planned,” he said.
Read more about the elections: If you are hospitalized in California, you might be able to vote without leaving your bed. [Los Angeles Times]