Vote early, California! Starting October 24, 2026, vote centers will open for early in-person voting for the November 3, 2026, General Election in the following counties: Alameda, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, El Dorado, Fresno, Humboldt, Imperial, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Merced, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Placer, Riverside, Sacramento, San Benito, San Diego, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Tuolumne, Ventura, and Yolo.
To find your nearest vote center or drop box, visit caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov.
You can vote how, when, and where it’s convenient for you—using a drop box, at a vote center, or by mail.
Voting early ensures your ballot is received on time to be counted. You can find early voting locations and drop boxes here: https://caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov/. If voting by mail or dropping off your ballot, please read the information below to help ensure your ballot is not rejected because of a missing signature, empty envelope, or a late postmark.
Democracy is counting on you! Follow these easy steps to exercise your right to vote:
Complete your ballot: Mark your choices on your ballot.
Seal your ballot: Secure your ballot inside the return envelope you received from your county elections office.
Sign your ballot: Sign the outside of your return envelope. Make sure your signature matches the signature on your California driver’s license or State ID, or the signature you provided when registering to vote. Your county elections office will compare your signatures before they count your ballot.
Return your ballot: You have several options to return your ballot:
At a drop box: You can drop off your ballot in the return envelope at a secure official drop box, vote center, polling location, or county elections office by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. Dropbox locations can be found here: https://caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov/.
In person: You can vote in person on or before Election Day. Find your polling location at: https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/polling-place. Early voting locations can be found here: https://caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov/.
By mail: Mail your ballot back as soon as possible after you receive it. To be counted, your ballot must be postmarked no later than Election Day (November 3, 2026). We recommend mailing it at least 7 days before Election Day as mail may not be postmarked by the United States Postal Service until the following day in some locations. If you mail it closer to Election Day, take it to a United States Post Office and ask a postal employee for a manual postmark.
Track your ballot. Sign up at wheresmyballot.sos.ca.gov to receive updates on the status of your ballot by text message (SMS), email, or voice call. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to track your ballot every step of the way!
If you have any questions, please call one of the toll-free voter hotlines
- (800) 345-VOTE (8683) – English
- (800) 232-VOTA (8682) - Español / Spanish
- (800) 339-2857 - 中文 / Chinese
- (888) 345-2692 - हिन्दी / Hindi
- (800) 339-2865 - 日本語 / Japanese
- (888) 345-4917 - ខ្មែរ / Khmer
- (866) 575-1558 - 한국어 / Korean
- (800) 339-2957 - Tagalog
- (855) 345-3933 - ภาษาไทย / Thai
- (800) 339-8163 - Việt ngữ / Vietnamese
- 711 – TTY/TDD
or your county elections office https://www.sos.ca.gov/county-elections-offices.
Vote Early, California! Don’t Delay, Vote Today.
The Office of the California Secretary of State
Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. You will need to use your email address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please visit subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com.
This service is provided to you at no charge by the California Secretary of State.
