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Some ballots mailed on Election Day may not be counted, state officials say
The United States Postal Service logo is seen on a mailbox outside a post office in Los Angeles.
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ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images
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AFP
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Topline:
Voters planning to return their mail-in ballots for this year’s special election via the U.S. Postal Service should take extra care to make sure they're postmarked by the Nov. 4 deadline — which, for some areas, means dropping it off in the mail before Election Day, state officials said.
What’s changing? The U.S. Postal Service rolled out changes earlier this year that could delay ballots getting postmarked in certain parts of the state. “In many parts of California, recent changes in the U.S. Postal mail service mean that your ballot may not be counted if you drop it off at a post office on Election Day,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a news release.
Which areas does this affect? Some rural areas and communities more than 50 miles away from major mail processing centers may not have their ballots postmarked in time if they’re dropped off on Nov. 4. The Attorney General’s Office released a map of where those hubs are located.
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How else can I make sure my ballot is received in time? If you drop off your ballot at a vote center or official ballot dropbox it will be counted. Here’s where to find ballot dropbox locations for L.A. County and Orange County. Vote centers will open in late October. Alternatively, you can bring your ballot to a post office and ask them to postmark it so your vote can be counted.
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This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
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