Skip to main content

Questions and answers - vote by mail

Frequently asked questions about vote by mail.

General information

 Open All Panels

In 2021, the law changed. Now all voters will be mailed a ballot for every election.

You do not need to sign up. All voters will be mailed a ballot for every election.

Yes, you can go to any voter center in Marin County. See our List of Vote Center locations for days and hours of operation.

We mail vote by mail ballots 29 days before the election.

If you do not receive your ballot within 2 weeks, You can:

  • Call the Election Department 415-473-6456, up to 7 days before the election to request a replacement ballot be mailed to you (mail can take 5-7 days within Marin County).
  • Go to any Vote Center and receive a replacement ballot. See our List of Vote Center locations for days and hours of operation.
  • Give your written permission to a representative that can pick up your ballot at the any Vote Center. Your representative must bring the required completed and signed Provide Vote By Mail Ballot to Representative Application with them. See our List of Vote Center locations for days and hours of operation. 
  • Request an online accessible ballot to mark at home by email (RAVBM in subject line).

You can vote as soon as you receive your ballot. Vote your ballot, put it in the return envelope, sign the envelope, and then drop it in an official drop box, at any vote center, or in the mailbox.

We mail election materials to all voters starting 29 days before the election.

You will receive a:

  • Ballot
  • Return envelope
  • Voting instructions

No! Vote by mail ballots cannot be forwarded.

Fill out a new registration form with your updated information at least 15 days before the election.

  • Call the Election Department 415-473-6456, up to 7 days before the election to request a replacement ballot be mailed to you (mail can take 5-7 days within Marin County).
  • You may go to any Vote Center and receive a replacement ballot. See our List of Vote Center locations for days and hours of operation.
  • You may give your written permission to a representative that can pick up your ballot at the any Vote Center. Your representative must bring the required completed and signed Provide Vote By Mail Ballot to Representative Application with them. See our List of Vote Center locations for days and hours of operation. 
  • You may request an online accessible ballot to mark at home by email (RAVBM in subject line).

  • Call the Election Department 415-473-6456, up to 7 days before the election to request a replacement ballot be mailed to you (mail can take 5-7 days within Marin County).
  • You may go to any Vote Center and receive a replacement ballot. See our List of Vote Center locations for days and hours of operation.
  • You may give your written permission to a representative that can pick up your ballot at the any Vote Center. Your representative must bring the required completed and signed Provide Vote By Mail Ballot to Representative Application with them. See our List of Vote Center locations for days and hours of operation. 
  • You may request an online accessible ballot to mark at home by email (RAVBM in subject line).

Yes. You can:

  • Call the Election Department 415-473-6456, up to 7 days before the election to request a replacement ballot be mailed to you (mail can take 5-7 days within Marin County).
  • You may go to any Vote Center and receive a replacement ballot. See our List of Vote Center locations for days and hours of operation.
  • You may give your written permission to a representative that can pick up your ballot at the any Vote Center. Your representative must bring the required completed and signed Provide Vote By Mail Ballot to Representative Application with them. See our List of Vote Center locations for days and hours of operation. 
  • You may request an online accessible ballot to mark at home by email (RAVBM in subject line).

You can:
Draw a straight line completely through the incorrect vote and the oval. Then fill in the oval for the correct vote and write "correct" next to the correct vote.

Do not sign or initial next to the error.

—OR—

  • Call the Election Department 415-473-6456, up to 7 days before the election to request a replacement ballot be mailed to you (mail can take 5-7 days within Marin County).
  • You may go to any Vote Center and receive a replacement ballot. See our List of Vote Center locations for days and hours of operation.
  • You may give your written permission to a representative that can pick up your ballot at the any Vote Center. Your representative must bring the required completed and signed Provide Vote By Mail Ballot to Representative Application with them. See our List of Vote Center locations for days and hours of operation. 
  • You may request an online accessible ballot to mark at home by email (RAVBM in subject line).

Place your ballot in the return envelope sent with you ballot. Sign and date the outside of the return envelope.

You can:

For Statewide Elections you can also:

  • Drop it off in any Official County Drop Box in the state no later than 8 pm. on Election Day.
  • Bring it to any Elections Department office, polling place, or vote center in the state no later than 8 pm. on Election Day.

By Drop Box:

In person to any voter center in Marin County:

By Mail:

  • Your ballot must be post marked on or before Election Day and received by 7 days after the election.

We will send you a letter. You have until 2 days before the election is certified to fix the issue. If you do not respond, your ballot will not be counted.

We will send you a letter. You have until 2 days before the election is certified to fix the issue. If you do not respond, your ballot will not be counted.

Yes, you can:

We follow these steps:

  1. We record your ballot when it is received.
  2. We compare your signature on the envelope with your signature on file.
    We will notify you if:
    • You forgot to sign your envelope.
    • Your signature does not match.
  3. We sort and cut open the envelopes.
  4. We take the ballots out of their envelopes with the address face down, for privacy, and set the envelopes aside.
  5. Unfold and inspect each ballot.
    • Torn ballots are copied onto a new ballot.
    • Ballots with signatures, initials, or any identifying marks are copied onto a new ballot.
    • Ballots voted with red ink or pencil are enhanced with blue highlighter to make sure the vote is counted correctly.
  6. Ballots are sent to the tabulation team to be counted.

Ballots are scanned on digital scanners. All equipment used for counting has gone through Federal and State certification. We test all machines are counting correctly before and after each election.

After the ballots have been processed, we:

  1. Scan the ballots in batches of 100.
  2. Log the machine name, user, batch number, and batch size with each batch.
  3. Seal 5 batches in a box, logging the election date, machine name and batch range inside the box.
  4. Secure the counted ballots in a locked cage in an alarmed room.

The first results at 8 pm on Election Day include vote by mail ballots counted so far and early voting from the vote centers. By Election Day, we usually count all vote by mail ballots received by the Friday before the election. Any remaining ballots or those received on Election Day and ballots received in the mail during the 7-day grace period are counted within a week or two of the election.

Any voter with a ballot that has been challenged due to missing signature or the signature does not match has until 2 days before the election is certified to fix the issue to have their ballot counted. We have 28 days to certify an election, but usually certify before the deadline.

Call 415-473-6456, if you have any questions.

Related

Page last updated on December 18, 2024.

Was this page helpful?