Californians voting in 'historic' numbers, more than 1.5M mail-in ballots already cast, state says

"More Californians voting early will mean a safer Election Day for everyone-voters, poll workers, and elections officials alike," said Secretary of State Alex Padilla.

ByKayla Galloway KGO logo

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Everything to know about vote by mail in CA

For many of you, this is new territory. We're clearing up any confusion you may have about mail-in voting.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- More than 1.5 million Californians have already returned their vote-by-mail ballots for the 2020 general election as of Wednesday morning, according to Secretary of State's Office.

That number is a stark comparison to 2016, when by this date, roughly 150,000 ballots had been returned, state officials said.

"Californians are voting early in historic numbers," Secretary of State Alex Padilla said in a statement Wednesday.

Padilla is encouraging Californians to make a plan for how they're going to vote in the Nov. 3 election, whether mailing your ballot with the prepaid postage or dropping it off in-person at a drop box or elections office.

"More Californians voting early will mean a safer Election Day for everyone-voters, poll workers, and elections officials alike," Padilla said. "By voting early, you help preserve in-person voting for those who need it-including our neighbors with disabilities, those who need language assistance, or those who need access to Same Day Voter Registration."

All registered voters in California will receive a ballot in the mail this year.

Ballots were mailed out around the first week of October.

Ballots will have prepaid postage and can returned at any time in California, including on Election Day.

A ballot can be received as late as Nov. 20 and it will still be counted, as long as it's postmarked no later than Nov. 3.

Californians can learn how to track their 2020 ballots here.

Get the latest stories and videos about the 2020 election here.

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