No, the holes in your mail-in ballot are not for showing how you voted. Here’s what they’re actually for

Viral videos circulating in the lead-up to California’s Nov. 4 special election on Proposition 50, a ballot measure that decides whether California can temporarily redraw its congressional maps for the next three election cycles, have fueled false theories — that the small holes in the mail-in ballot envelopes are meant to show how someone voted.

California Secretary of State Shirley Weber addressed the rumors this week, definitively stating that’s not the case. “The small holes on ballot envelopes are an accessibility feature to allow sight-impaired voters to orient themselves to where they are required to sign the envelope,” Weber said in a statement released Monday.

She added that if voters are concerned about their vote being revealed — some of the videos online show that “No” votes can be made visible through the holes in some envelopes — they can fold or insert their ballot in a way where their choice remains hidden.

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Counties across California use different ballot and envelope designs, and that can add to the confusion about what exactly these holes are for.

For instance, Ventura County’s ballot envelope holes are below the signature line. Orange County’s envelopes don’t have holes at all.

What’s going on? LAist reached out to county registrars across Southern California to get clarification on their envelope designs. Here’s what we learned.

L.A. County

A mail-in ballot return envelope for L.A. County.

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Brianna Lee

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LAist

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The back of an L.A. County mail-in ballot return envelope.

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Brianna Lee

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LAist

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Ballot envelopes in L.A. County have three holes in total: two on the side with the signature line and one overlapping hole on the opposite side of the envelope.

The L.A. County registrar’s office previously addressed this design, saying it’s been used in many past election cycles. The two holes on the signature side act as an aid for visually impaired voters, and the overlapping holes help election workers tallying votes confirm that the envelopes don’t have ballots left inside.

The holes were recommended by the nonprofit Center for Civic Design. Secretary of State Weber also said her office encourages counties to utilize the group’s guidance, shared on the Secretary of State’s website, in designing their own ballots.

Orange County

The front of an Orange County mail-in ballot return envelope.

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Tiffany Ujiiye

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LAist

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The back of an Orange County mail-in ballot return envelope.

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Tiffany Ujiiye

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LAist

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Orange County ballot envelopes don’t have any holes.

The choice was not related to security or accessibility issues. “We found that ballot return envelopes with holes did not work well in the mail inserting equipment we use,” the Orange County registrar’s office told LAist in an email.

Ventura County

A ballot and ballot envelope for Ventura County for the Nov. 4 special election.

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Courtesy Ventura County Registrar of Voters

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There are two overlapping holes in Ventura County ballot envelopes below the signature line, closer to where a voter would print their address.

These holes are primarily for assisting election staff — both to verify that there’s a ballot inside a returned envelope and to ensure that they’re empty after the ballots are processed, said Simone Seydoux, public information officer for the Ventura County registrar’s office, in an email to LAist. The registrar’s office also uses them to zip tie the envelopes together for election storage.

Additionally, ballot envelopes are designed and printed before the ballots themselves, she said. Envelopes are printed in bulk, and the ones being used for the Nov. 4 special election are from a previous printing run.

“There are three ways to fold the envelopes where the words from the contest are not visible,” said Seydoux. “We encourage voters to fold the ballot in any way that makes them more comfortable.”

Riverside County

A mail-in ballot return envelope from Riverside County.

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Courtesy Riverside County Registrar of Voters

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A sample of the back of a mail-in ballot return envelope for Riverside County.

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Courtesy Riverside County Registrar of Voters

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Similar to envelopes in L.A. County, the ones in Riverside County have three holes: two by the signature line and one overlapping one on the opposite envelope side. The Riverside County registrar’s office confirmed that they are also an aid for visually impaired voters and for helping election workers who are processing ballots.

Elizabeth Florer, public information officer for the Riverside County registrar’s office, told LAist the envelopes are made from “detection proof paper,” designed to prevent anybody from being able to see a voter’s choice or any other content inside.

“We take reports of visible ballot contents seriously, as voter confidentiality is a top priority to our electoral system,” Florer said. “Through several attempts, we have not been able to replicate these recent complaints. We continue to ask residents to let us know if they have any concerns.”

The ballot envelope hole controversy

Confusion, false rumors and suspicion around these envelope holes have surfaced and been debunked before, most recently during the 2021 special election to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The issue has ballooned again in the lead-up to this year’s vote. The upcoming Nov. 4 special election on Proposition 50 asks voters to decide whether to temporarily redraw California’s congressional maps for elections through 2030. The new maps were designed to benefit Democrats in an effort to neutralize a similar effort in Texas, supported by President Donald Trump, that favors Republicans.

The rumors on social media have been amplified by right-wing social media accounts including Libs of TikTok and Wall Street Apes. Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton highlighted some of these viral social videos last week and called for suspending the election over it.

Roxanne Beckford Hoge, chair of the Republican Party of Los Angeles County, pushed back on the concern. “Please don't panic people about something that is easily addressed by turning their ballot around. We need every no vote, and we need them now,” she wrote on X.