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September 17, 2021 - SACRAMENTO, CA – County elections officials are hard at work continuing to count ballots from the 2021 California Gubernatorial Recall Election. County elections officials have up to 30 days after Election Day to complete their extensive tallying, auditing, and certification work (known as the “Official Canvass”).
California counties handle the printing, mailing, and processing of ballots and as a result, the frequency of updated results varies by county. The Official Canvass is open to the public and those interested can contact their local county registrar for additional information. The Secretary of State’s office does not process ballots in any way.
California’s county elections officials have already processed and counted 9.3 million ballots from the 2021 California Gubernatorial Recall Election. County elections officials estimate 2.9 million outstanding ballots remain to be processed and counted. The unprocessed ballots report—a compilation of estimates from county elections officials—is available at: https://electionresults.sos.ca.gov/unprocessed-ballots-status
For this election, vote-by-mail ballots postmarked on or before Election Day and received by county elections officials no later than 7 days after Election Day must be processed.
County elections officials must report their final results to the Secretary of State by October 15. The Secretary of State will certify the results on October 22, 2021.
Click here for the current reporting status from each county.
When are vote-by-mail ballots counted?
Vote-by-mail ballots that are received by county elections officials before Election Day are typically counted on Election Day. Many more vote-by-mail ballots are dropped off at polling places, drop box locations, or arrive at county elections offices on Election Day. Vote-by-mail ballots postmarked on or before Election Day and received by county elections officials no later than 7 days after Election Day must be processed.
Depending on the volume of these types of ballots, it takes up to 30 days for county elections officials to verify voter records and determine if ballots have been cast by eligible voters. The frequency of updated results will vary based on the size of each county and the process each local elections office uses to tally and report votes.
How and when are provisional ballots counted?
In California, provisional ballots serve as a fail-safe method of ensuring all voters who show up to the polls can cast a ballot.
All provisional ballots are carefully checked by county elections officials to confirm that the person who voted provisionally is both registered and that they did not cast a ballot by mail or at another polling location on Election Day. Due to the additional human review and verification needed for provisional ballots, they are typically counted after Election Day and vote-by-mail ballots.
How and when are Same Day Voter Registrations processed?
Same Day Voter Registration, also known as Conditional Voter Registration in state law, is a safety net for Californians who miss the deadline to register to vote or update their voter registration information for an election.
Eligible citizens who need to register or re-register to vote within 14 days of an election can complete this process to register and vote at their county elections office, polling place, or vote center. Their ballots will be processed and counted once the county elections office has completed the voter registration verification process.
When will the vote counting period end and election be certified?
Election results will change throughout the canvass period as vote-by-mail ballots, provisional ballots, and other ballots are processed. Depending on the volume of these types of ballots, it may take up to 30 days for county elections officials to verify voter records and determine if ballots have been cast by eligible voters. The frequency of updated results will vary based on the size of each county and the process each county elections office uses to tally and report votes. County elections officials must report their final results to the Secretary of State by October 15. The Secretary of State will certify the results on October 22, 2021.
Source: CA. SOS
