California voters should start seeing mail‑in ballots for the June primary in their mailboxes in the coming days.
Voters will be asked to pick a gubernatorial candidate to advance to November’s general election, as well as to vote in a myriad of other statewide races, including lieutenant governor and secretary of state.
If you’re worried you haven’t gotten your ballot, or you want to see if it’s been counted after you’ve turned it in, you may want to check out California’s statewide ballot-tracking service, Where’s My Ballot.
The service, powered by BallotTrax, lets voters see when their vote‑by‑mail ballot is mailed, received, and counted.
Here’s a step-by-step on how to sign up for Where’s My Ballot.
How to track your ballot
California offers a statewide ballot‑tracking service called “Where’s My Ballot?” The service, powered by BallotTrax, lets voters see when their vote‑by‑mail ballot is mailed, received, and counted.
Voters can sign up for the service by visiting the BallotTrax website.
Once you arrive on the webpage, you can navigate to the form on the right side of the webpage, where you will be prompted to provide the following:
You can then click “register/log in” and be taken to a contact preferences page. From there, you can select what kinds of alerts you would like to opt into, including email, text, or phone updates.
The updates include:
You can also limit the hours during which messages can be sent, as well as choose from 10 different language preferences.
The website should then take you to a page that shows the status of the your ballot, such as when your ballot was mailed, or if it has been delivered to your address.
After signing up for the Where’s My Ballot service, you should get confirmation via email, text, or phone, depending on which alerts you’ve opted to receive.
What to do if you don’t get a ballot (or something’s wrong)
If you don’t receive your ballot in the mail, you’ll want to check your registration. You confirm you are an active registered voter and that your mailing address is accurate by visiting the California Secretary of State’s “My Voter Status” webpage.
You can also check with your county election office. You can find a list of county election offices, along with their addresses and phone numbers, on the California Secretary of State’s website.
If you’ve confirmed that you are a registered voter and your address is correct, but still do not receive your ballot in the mail, here’s what you should do:
If your ballot is damaged, lost, or you make a mistake, here’s what you can do:
The bottom line: If you don’t see a ballot or have a problem with the one you received, contact your county elections office as soon as possible, or go in person to a vote center or elections office to get a new one.
How to register to vote for June primary
To register to vote, you can do so online through the California Secretary of State’s website.
“You can also pick up an application at your county elections office, any Department of Motor Vehicles office, and many post offices, public libraries, and government offices,” according to the state’s website. “To have a paper application mailed to you, call your county elections office or the Secretary of State’s toll-free voter hotline at (800) 345-VOTE (8683).”
The last day to register for June’s primary is Monday, May 18.
Key dates and links
Some key dates for the June primary include:
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Step-by-step guide on how to track your California mail-in ballot
Reporting by Daniella Segura, USA TODAY NETWORK / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
