Have you made a plan to vote in the June 2 primary election yet? It's the easiest way to cast your ballot. Millions of vote-by-mail ballots will soon be going out to homes across the state.

Here’s everything you need to know about how to vote by mail, guided by your questions. We'll be updating this FAQ as we answer more, so check back often.

And 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?

County elections officials mail vote-by-mail ballots to all active registered voters. To make sure you get yours, first check that you are registered to vote by May 18, the voter registration deadline, and confirm that your mailing address is correct. If you are all set, you should receive a ballot in the mail. And if you're not registered yet, just fill out the form online. So easy!

County elections offices had to send out ballots by May 4, according to the California Secretary of State website. Some counties sent them even earlier to give voters a head start, including Los Angeles County, which announced they'd been sent April 30. (So you might already have it in that pile of mail!) You can use the Where’s My Ballot? tracking tool to see if your ballot has been mailed. If your ballot doesn't show up, contact your county registrar.

The last day to request a new vote-by-mail ballot in L.A. and Orange counties is May 26 (a week before the election), which you can get here online for Los Angeles County and here for Orange County. You can also call your local registrar. (If you’re in another county, make sure to ask for a replacement ballot by May 18 at the latest — but earlier is better — to give it enough time to come in the mail.)

How do I cast my VBM ballot?

You have options:

• Mail it in, no postage required. Just make sure it’s postmarked on or before June 2, 2026. 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 or polling place in the state by 8 p.m. on June 2, 2026.
• Drop it in any official drop box in the state (yes, anywhere in the state) by 8 p.m. on June 2, 2026. Avoid fake drop boxes. Here is what official drop boxes in L.A. County and Orange County look like. 
• 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 vote center near you.
• Find an L.A. County drop box near you.
• Find an Orange County drop box near you.
• Find an Orange County vote center near you.

How do I fill out the envelope?

Here's a handy guide for that. Hover your cursor over the arrows and checkmarks for more guidance.

Note: This is the L.A. County envelope. Let us know if you need help with a different county. Click the arrow to see the back.

Should I worry if my ballot isn’t here yet?

County registrars will begin sending out vote-by-mail ballots to all registered voters by May 4, 2026, if not earlier.

To see if your ballot has been mailed, use the Where’s My Ballot? tracking tool.

If you are registered to vote and your address is up to date but you have not received your ballot by May 15, it's a good idea to contact your local county elections office to make sure nothing is amiss.

Remember: The last day to request a new vote-by-mail ballot in L.A. and Orange counties is May 26 (a week before the election).

If all else fails, and you're registered in a Voter's Choice Act county, you can go to any vote center in your county to vote in person.

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.

If you mess up before L.A. County’s May 26 deadline, you can request a new vote-by-mail ballot. (In other counties, it’s best to request this at least a week before Election Day.) L.A. County and Orange County have online request forms. You can also contact your county’s election office.

In L.A. County and Orange County, or any other Voter's Choice Act county (these now include San Diego, Riverside and Ventura counties), you can also go to any vote center in your county 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.

I forgot to sign my ballot envelope. How can I fix that?

If you returned your ballot — meaning you either mailed it in or dropped it off — without signing the return envelope, the L.A. County registrar will mail you an "Unsigned Ballot Statement" form to get your signature, which is required to verify your identity and process your ballot. It will look something like this (note this one is from 2024).

Orange County also follows this process. For help with ballots from other counties, contact your county’s election office.

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, June 2, 2026. Drop boxes are available starting May 5, 2026. Make sure to drop your ballot in an official box (see below for what to look for in L.A. and Orange counties) and avoid fake ones.

A voter places his ballot in a mail-in ballot drop box outside of an L.A. library ahead of Election Day in October 2020.

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Mario Tama

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Getty Images

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A woman casts her ballot at an official Orange County ballot drop box in Santa Ana in October 2020.

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Frederic J. Brown

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AFP via Getty Images

)

• Find an L.A. County drop box near you.
• Find an Orange County drop box near you.

Can I vote in person instead?

You definitely can. If you vote in L.A. County or Orange County (or any other Voter's Choice Act county), 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.

If you vote in a non-Voter's Choice Act county, you can vote in person instead as well. You can check in with your local election office to see if they prefer that you bring your vote-by-mail ballot, but no matter where you vote, not having that old ballot with you should never prevent you from casting your ballot. Election officials will help you.

• Get more information about voting in person.

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 and Orange County.

Editor's note: This story first published in October 2022 and was originally written by Caitlin Biljan. It has been updated multiples times since.