Have you made a plan to vote in the April 4 special election for City Council District 6? Just as in previous elections, every registered voter in District 6 should automatically receive a vote-by-mail ballot for the special election. You can input your address here to check if you are registered.
Here’s everything you need to know about how to vote by mail, guided by your questions.
If you have a question that’s not being addressed, ask us! You can submit your question by using the form at the bottom and the Voter Game Plan team will do our best to get you an answer.
How Do I Get A Vote-By-Mail (VBM) Ballot?
The L.A. County Registrar mails vote-by-mail ballots to all active registered voters who live in City Council District 6. To make sure you get yours, first check that you are registered to vote by March 20, the deadline to register online to vote, and confirm that your mailing address is correct. If you are all set, you should receive a ballot in the mail.
If you need to request a new vote-by-mail ballot, you can call the registrar's office at (800) 815-2666. The last day to request a new vote-by-mail ballot is March 28.
The L.A. County Registrar will begin mailing ballots by March 6. Use the "Where’s My Ballot?" tracking tool to see if your ballot has been mailed yet. If your ballot doesn't show up by the week of March 20, contact the registrar's office.
How Do I Cast My VBM Ballot?
You have options:
- Mail it in, no postage required. Just make sure it’s postmarked on or by April 4. If you’re concerned it won’t be postmarked in time, you may want to choose one of these other options.
- Turn it in at any vote center by 8 p.m. on April 4.
- Drop it in any official drop box by 8 p.m. on April 4. Avoid fake drop boxes. Here is what official drop boxes in L.A. County look like. Here's a map and list of drop boxes available for the April 4 election.
- Designate another person to drop it off for you — as long as that person doesn't get paid to pick up ballots. There’s a space on your ballot envelope to write the name of the person you've chosen to turn in your vote.
Be sure to sign your ballot envelope with the signature that matches what the registrar has on file (probably your ID signature). Again, no worries about stamps! Postage is free for all mail-in ballots in the state of California.
Find an L.A. County drop box near you.
The L.A. County Registrar hasn't yet released a list of vote centers for the April 4 election, but it did include that information in the sample ballots it has already mailed out to district voters. And we will include a link to the full list here when it's available.
How Do I Fill Out The Envelope?
Here's a handy guide for that. Click the arrow to see the back.
Should I Worry If My Ballot Isn’t Here Yet?
If you are registered to vote and your address is up to date but you have not received your ballot by the week of March 20, it's a good idea to contact the registrar's office to make sure nothing is amiss. The last day to request a new vote-by-mail ballot is March 28.
If all else fails, you can go to any vote center to vote in person beginning March 25.
I Used A Pencil To Fill Out My Ballot. Is That OK?
Using a pen with blue or black ink is preferred. However, if you mistakenly use a pencil, your vote will still be counted. If you signed your envelope in pencil, it might get flagged as a signature issue. If that happens, you should be notified by mail (and the Where's My Ballot? tracking tool if you sign up for texts) and have a chance to fix it.
I Made A Mistake On My Ballot. What Do I Do?
You have some options:
- You can draw a single line across your mistake and make your correction.
- You can request a new vote-by-mail ballot before March 28 — contact the registrar's office.
- You can also go to any vote center in L.A. to get a new ballot and vote in person. You don't have to bring your vote-by-mail ballot — electronic check-in and online verification with a central voter database will ensure your vote-by-mail ballot is suspended. Vote centers open March 25.
How Do I Find And Use A Drop Box?
Seal and sign your ballot and deposit it in any official drop box in the state before 8 p.m. on Election Day (April 4). Drop boxes should be available starting March 6. Make sure to drop your ballot in an official box and avoid fake ones. Here is what official drop boxes in L.A. County look like.
Here's a map and list of drop boxes available for the April 4 election.
Can I Vote In Person Instead?
You definitely can. You don’t have to turn in your vote-by-mail ballot when you go to the voting center. The electronic check-in process is designed to void any other ballots you might have to ensure you don’t vote multiple times.
As we noted above, the L.A. County Registrar hasn't yet released a list of vote centers and drop boxes for the April 4 special election, but we'll provide a link when it's available.
What About Accessible Voting By Mail?
There are options. Remote Accessible Vote by Mail (RAVBM) allows you to access and mark your ballot privately with your own assistive device. You can also designate someone to help you with your ballot (there are some rules around that here). Drop boxes should be accessible 24/7. In L.A. County, the envelope also features paper holes that you can feel to help guide your hand to the signature box. Learn more about accessible voting in L.A. County.
