The November 3, 2020 General Election is 33 Days Away! |
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The November 3, 2020 General Election is 33 days away! Need to register to vote? Want to check your voter registration status? We can help.
Voting Begins in 4 Days
Starting on October 5, 2020:
- All counties will have begun mailing ballots to every active, registered voter in California.
- Voters will be able to vote early, in-person at their county elections office.
Tips for Voters
Californians are encouraged to take the following steps to prepare for the General Election:
Voter Registration Deadline
October 19 is the traditional voter registration deadline for the November 3, 2020, General Election. If an eligible Californian misses the October 19 deadline, they can complete the Same Day Voter Registration process and cast their vote that day. However, this option is only available at county elections offices and in-person voting locations.
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Join Over 1 Million California Voters in Tracking Your Ballot |
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Over 1 million Californians have signed up with "Where's My Ballot?" tracking tool which allows voters to track their mail-in-ballots step by step through the mailing and vote counting process.
All California voters can sign-up at WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov to receive automated notifications about their vote-by-mail ballots by email, text (SMS), or voice call.
Voters who sign up for “Where’s My Ballot?” will receive automatic updates when the county elections office:
- Mailed their ballot.
- Received their ballot.
- Counted their ballot.
- Has any issues with their ballot.
Voters who sign up for “Where’s My Ballot?” will also receive communications from their county elections office about important election deadlines and critical updates such as polling place changes.
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New Voter Registration Milestone – California Reaches 21 Million Registered Voters |
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This month, California officially surpassed 21 million active registered voters for the first time in history.
“2020 is another record setting year for voter registration in California,” Secretary of State Alex Padilla said. “Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, our democracy remains strong and resilient.”
“If you’ve recently turned 18, recently become a US Citizen, or even if you’ve never voted before — don’t wait. Register to vote today at registertovote.ca.gov. It only takes a few minutes to register and to make your voice is heard in one of the most consequential elections in our nation’s history. And if you’re already registered to vote, I encourage you to verify your registration status and to sign-up for ballot tracking.”
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Dodger Stadium, Levi’s Stadium, and other Professional Sports Venues to Serve as Vote Centers |
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California Secretary of State Alex Padilla visited Dodger Stadium to discuss its transition into a Vote Center and give a sneak preview of the preparations for the November 3, 2020 General Election. The stadium will open for early voting on October 30, 2020.
This month, Secretary Padilla also participated in webinars for the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Chargers to give them a voting tutorial and important information about California's voting procedure. Both the Warriors' Chase Center and Chargers' SoFi Stadium will be converted into Vote Centers for the November 3, 2020 General Election.
You can see the election resources they've compiled here:
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Get Counted in the Census! |
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There's still time left to be counted in the 2020 U.S. Census! For those who still need to be counted in the Census, you can do so now at My2020Census.gov.
Last month, Secretary Padilla launched the 2020 Census Challenge. The California Census Challenge aims to target and fill the gaps in Census outreach, especially in hard-to-count communities, by having cities and counties with similar population sizes compete for the highest and most improved census response rates.
As of September 25th, California ranks 18th in the nation, with a response rate of 68.8%. At launch, California was 22nd in the nation, with a response rate of 65.1%.
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Secretary of State's Office Releases
USPS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Voters
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The California Secretary of State's Office released a set of frequently asked questions on the United States Postal Service (USPS) after concerns that recent operational changes may impact vote-by-mail delivery in California.
The FAQ includes answers on the Secretary of State's response to USPS operational changes, important election dates and deadlines, and detailed information on how to cast your vote-by-mail ballot in the November 3, 2020 General Election.
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Secretary of State Alex Padilla Launches
New Elections Chatbot
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Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced the launch of Sam, an elections “Search Assistant Module.” This new artificial intelligence search assistant, or “chatbot,” will help voters easily navigate elections resources on the Secretary of State’s election website pages. The chatbot includes information on the upcoming November 3, 2020 General Election, so that Californians can get their elections questions answered quickly and cast their votes with ease.
Voters can ask the chatbot questions like “How do I register to vote?” and they will be linked to RegisterToVote.ca.gov where they can then go to register to vote online. Sam responds best to short questions or keywords.
The California Secretary of State was the first state-level Department or Agency to use Microsoft’s Artificial Intelligence and bot services with the launch of the Eureka business programs chatbot in 2018 to modernize and create efficiencies when providing services to customers.
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California Secretary of State Launches
New Statewide Ads for Vote Safe California
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The Secretary of State’s office announced a statewide multi-media advertising campaign in multiple languages as part of Vote Safe California, which aims to educate the public on the safety, security, and ease of voting in the November General Election amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 30-second ads remind all active and registered California voters that they will be able to vote safely and securely at home and return their ballot by mail, to any secure ballot drop box, or to any in-person voting location. Voters also have the option to vote early, in-person to avoid long lines and crowds on Election Day.
All vote-by-mail return envelopes have unique barcodes that enable voters to know the status of their ballot through the postal service using our Where’s My Ballot? ballot-tracking tool. Voters can sign up to receive automatic notifications by text message, email, or voice call on the status of their vote-by-mail ballot at WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov. At all in-person voting locations, election officials will be implementing public health directives, including physical distancing and additional sanitation and cleaning protocols to keep voters and poll workers safe.
Digital ads will run statewide. In addition, TV and radio ads will run in the Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Fresno, Bakersfield, Sacramento, Yuma, and Palm Springs media markets. The ads will run in English, Spanish, Cantonese, Farsi, Hindi, Hmong, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Mandarin, Punjabi, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese. The ads will complement the Vote Safe California’s existing voter education and outreach program, which leverages SMS and e-mail communications as well as partnerships with community and faith leaders, celebrities, business leaders, social media influencers, policy advocates, healthcare experts, and more.
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Governor Newsom Signs Executive Order to Make Safe at Home Program Available for Public Health Officials |
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Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Executive Order N-80-20 making the Secretary of State’s Safe at Home confidential address program available to Local Health Officers and other public health officials. This is due to the threats and harassment health officials have faced in due to their work to protect public health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Public health officials that require Safe at Home address confidentiality services can find information about eligibility, enrollment processes, and other details at: https://SafeatHome.sos.ca.gov. The Safe at Home website will be further updated tomorrow with information about this executive order.
Safe at Home is an address confidentiality program that provides a substitute mailing address for victims and survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking, human trafficking, elder/dependent adult abuse, as well as reproductive health care workers.
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