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CALIFORNIA RECALL ELECTION 2021

How to find the nearest ballot drop box near me in California

Voting in the California recall and looking to send in your ballot? Our team took a look at the best way to find the closest drop box to your house. 

Update:
Voting in the California recall and looking to send in your ballot? Our team took a look at the best way to find the closest drop box to your house.
LUCY NICHOLSONREUTERS

With just days left to vote in the California Gubernatorial recall election, many are rushing to fill in their ballots and send them off.

In February 2021, the state’s legislature passed a bill mandating that all registered voters be sent a mail-in ballot for statewide elections; this includes recall elections.

How to send in a mail-in ballot

Mail-in ballots are sent with a pre-paid envelope which can be dropped in any postal box. For the vote to be counted, the envelope in which the ballot is contained must be signed.

The vote will be counted as long as the ballot is postmarked by 14 September.

Read more on the California Recall Election

Ballot drop boxes

Additionally, voters can drop their ballots off at secure drop boxes. Voters can find their polling locations and drop box locations through a platform administered by the Secretary of State. By using this tool, users can find drop boxes and early voting locations. 

Some counties, like Los Angles, have put together their own tools to help residents find the nearest dropbox. Users can put in their address, and the tool will show them the closest boxes in their area.

The February voting law mandates that these boxes be open until 8 PM on Election Day. The ballots left at these locations are picked up regularly by two Election Workers to prevent fraud. The boxes also must be monitored by the County who typically partners with local law enforcement and community-based organizations.

Same-day voter registration

Polling places in communities across the state will also be open on 14 September for those looking to cast their vote in person. California is also one of twenty states to offer same-day voter registration. Those who have not registered or need to reregister can do so at a polling location on election day.

According to the California Secretary of State, the votes of those who register the same day “will be processed and counted once the county elections office has completed the voter registration verification process.”

What questions are on the ballot?

The California recall election is formally known as a simultaneous recall election. Under this process, voters are asked to vote on two questions. Voters respond YES or NO to the question of if they would like to recall the governor, in this case, Gavin Newsom. The second question asks voters to state the candidate they would like to see replace the governor should the YES votes form the majority.

**Follow our live coverage of the 2021 California Gubernatorial Recall Election for more information on voting, the status of the race, and the candidates.**