Whether sent by mail or cast in a polling place, all November 4 ballots must be received by county elections officials no later than 8:00 p.m. on election day. Postmarks do not count. (A new law allowing ballots postmarked by election day and arriving up to three days later takes effect in 2015.)"Each election more voters are choosing to vote by mail," said Secretary of State Debra Bowen, the state's chief elections official. "Voting from the comfort of home makes it easier for voters to take time making their choices and relieves some of the pressure of worrying about getting to the polls on a specific day."
Any registered voter may request a vote-by-mail ballot until October 28. A voter may obtain a vote-by-mail application online at www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_m.htm or use the application in the sample ballot booklet mailed by the county elections office.
In the June 2014 primary election, an all-time high of 69 percent of ballots cast were by mail. More than 51 percent of participating voters used vote-by-mail ballots in the November 2012 general election. Visit www.sos.ca.gov/elections/hist_absentee.htm for 50 years of vote-by-mail statistics in California's statewide elections.
All valid vote-by-mail ballots are counted in every California election, regardless of the outcome or closeness of any race. Once county elections officials determine the signature on the ballot return envelope matches the voter’s signature on his or her voter registration form, and the person did not vote elsewhere in the same election, the ballot is counted.
