February 26, 2019 - SACRAMENTO, CA – 2019 is the first year that all California vote-by-mail ballots will come with prepaid postage return envelopes and Secretary of State Alex Padilla is announcing a new social media campaign to educate voters about this change. 

“In California, it's now 'No Stamp, No Problem' for vote-by-mail voters,” Secretary of State Alex Padilla said. “Once you've filled out your vote-by-mail ballot, simply place it in the return envelope, seal the envelope, sign on the designated line, and place it into the mail box. For over a decade, Californians have been increasingly choosing to vote-by-mail. Providing prepaid postage on all vote-by-mail return envelopes makes this option even more convenient for voters. It's another way we can make it easier to participate in our democracy."

In the November 2018 General Election, 65.3% of votes were cast on vote-by-mail ballots. This was the eighth straight statewide election in which a majority of votes cast were on vote-by-mail ballots.

AB 216 (2018), authored by Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez, amended the California Elections Code to require that all vote-by-mail ballot return envelopes have prepaid postage. The bill became effective January 1, 2019.
Source: CA. SOS