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Vote-by-mail ballot processing in California
Vote-by-mail ballot processing in California
Vote-by-mail ballot processing in California is the county-administered preparation and verification of mailed ballots for counting, including opening return envelopes and comparing envelope signatures with signatures on file.
How it works
County elections officials may begin opening and processing vote-by-mail ballot envelopes up to 29 days before Election Day. The results cannot be accessed or shared with the public until all polls close on Election Day.
Each California mail-in ballot return envelope includes a unique barcode. California Voter Foundation president Kim Alexander describes the envelope as an identification envelope uniquely coded to the voter to whom it was issued.
If an envelope signature is missing or does not match the signature on file, county elections officials must contact the voter to verify it so the ballot can be counted. For most elections, voters may verify their signatures until eight days before the county certifies its results.
History and changes
Nearly nine in ten ballots cast in California's June 2026 primary were vote-by-mail ballots, according to the Secretary of State's Statement of Vote as reported by The Desert Sun.
Scope and limitations
Election-night projections and candidates' concessions rely on semi-official results. California's election results become final only after all counties report their official canvass of the votes and the Secretary of State compiles the official statewide results.
Background and related concepts
As a check on the broader counting process, elections officials must conduct a public manual tally of 1% of the ballots tabulated by the county's voting system to verify the automated count's accuracy.
References
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