NAPA: Watch your mailbox this week. County elections officials across California must begin mailing each registered voter a vote-by-mail ballot no later than October 5, the Secretary of State's key-dates calendar for the November 3 general election says, which means ballots start landing in Napa County mailboxes in the days ahead.
The return options open just as fast. All counties must open ballot drop-off locations by October 5, and they stay open through the close of polls on November 3. A voted ballot can go back three ways: by mail, into a secure official drop box, or in person at a vote center or the county elections office. Mailed ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received no later than November 10.
Napa County runs its elections under the Voter's Choice Act, the county elections office says, which means every active registered voter is mailed a ballot automatically. Voters can return it by mail, drop it in a secure ballot drop box, or bring it to a vote center, where they can also cast a ballot in person, request a replacement, or get help in another language. Vote centers in Voter's Choice Act counties open October 24.
Every active registered voter in Napa County gets a ballot in the mail. What happens next is up to them.
The dates that matter
October 19 is the last day to register to vote in the general election; registration status can be checked at the Secretary of State's MyVoterStatus site. Voters who miss the deadline are not out of options: conditional registration runs October 20 through November 3, letting late registrants register and vote a provisional ballot. The Official Voter Information Guide mails between September 24 and October 13.
The League of Women Voters' California voting guide adds the small mechanics that decide whether a ballot counts: seal the voted ballot inside the official return envelope, sign and date the back of the envelope, and consider tracking the ballot through the state's BallotTrax tool. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on November 3.
