Worried you won’t get mail-in ballot due to wildfires? Here’s what to do in California
Wildfires burning through California have devastated communities and damaged or destroyed nearly 6,300 structures, according to Cal Fire.
With the general election 45 days away as of Friday, Californians who have been evacuated or whose homes have been impacted by the fires will need to take a few extra steps to make sure they’re able to send in their vote-by-mail ballots.
“California already provides multiple options for voters to cast their ballots — which is extra important during an emergency such as a wildfire,” Sam Mahood, a spokesman for California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, told McClatchy News in an email.
Voters concerned about how to get their ballots should contact their county’s elections office as soon as possible, according to Mahood.
“USPS cannot forward your vote-by-mail ballot, so you will need to work to update your registration to have the correct mailing address,” Mahood said.
Displaced residents can update their mailing address on registertovote.ca.gov.
Another option for voters is the state’s Remote Access Vote-by-Mail program, according to Mahood. Voters can get their ballots electronically “when they review their information on My Voter Status or by contacting their county elections office.” The voter can then fill the ballot out, print it and either mail it to their county elections office or return it in person at a voting location, drop box or their [county elections] office, the secretary of state’s website says.
Voters who already received their vote-by-mail ballot can return them by sealing it in the prepaid postage envelope provided with the ballot and putting it in the mail. They can also drop off a ballot “at any polling location, drop box or county elections office in the state,” according to Mahood.
“Elections officials will route your ballot to the appropriate county elections office to be counted,” Mahood said.
Californians who are unable to get a vote-by-mail ballot have the opportunity to vote at in-person polling locations in every county on Election Day. Anyone who needs to re-register can do so at voting locations “all the way through election day,” according to Mahood.
This story was originally published September 18, 2020 at 10:09 AM with the headline "Worried you won’t get mail-in ballot due to wildfires? Here’s what to do in California."