Elections 2020: Vote Early, Track Your Ballot

T-minus 13 days and counting until Election Day 2020! 

According to the California Secretary of State’s report of registration, more than 21 million Californians have registered to vote as of September 4.  It equates to about 85 percent of the eligible voting population in California. 

Every active registered voter in California should have received a ballot this year, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. And so far, more than 4.3 million ballots have been returned, with 98.5 percent of ballots being accepted.

If you haven’t voted yet, you can either mail or drop off your ballot at a drop box location near you. A list of nearest locations can be found here.

This year, California and a handful of other states across the country are using a new tool that can track a mail-in ballot.

It’s called “Where’s My Ballot?” from BallotTrax. Once signed up, the service will send voters texts, emails, or recorded voice calls updating the ballot’s status, such as if it has been mailed out, if it was accepted by election officials, or if it was rejected due to a discrepancy. More than two million Californians have signed up for the service so far.

If you do plan to vote in person on Election Day, counties will not require masks to be worn during voting; however, masks are encouraged and county election officials are working to protect the health of voters. According to Los Angeles Times, voters in Los Angeles County without a face mask will be brought to an outdoor area to vote; in Orange County maskless voters will be put in a booth away from other voters; and in San Bernardino and Riverside counties, election workers will offer face shields to voters around an unmasked person.

Monday was the last day to register online or by mail to vote in this upcoming election. But it was not the official last day to register to vote in California.

From now until Election Day on November 3, Californians can conditionally register to vote at their county elections office, polling place, or vote center. They can also register on Election Day.