What happens to your envelope
When a county gets your mail ballot, it compares the signature on the return envelope with the signature or signatures in your voter registration record, the Secretary of State explains. Only after that check is the ballot separated from the envelope, to keep it secret, and counted.
San Francisco's Department of Elections describes the same process: each envelope is scanned and the signature compared. If they are "reasonably comparable," the ballot is accepted. If not, or if the voter forgot to sign, the ballot is challenged and the voter gets a chance to correct, or "cure," the problem.
The deadline
For the Nov. 3 general election, a completed signature verification statement must reach your county elections office by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 25, according to the Secretary of State. The state publishes a combined signature verification and unsigned envelope statement, and each county posts its own instructions for returning it.
How to know if there's a problem
Counties notify voters whose ballots are challenged. You can also sign up for the state's free Where's My Ballot? tracking service, which sends updates by email, text or voice call as your ballot is mailed, received and counted, in every county.
First-time voters
The Secretary of State notes that a first-time federal voter who didn't provide a driver license, state ID number or last four Social Security digits when registering may need to send a copy of identification, such as a utility bill or the county voter guide mailed to them, or the envelope won't be opened.
Cured ballots are one reason results keep changing after election night; see our guide to the count timeline.
How to vote
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls and vote centers close at 8 p.m., and mailed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and arrive within seven days. You can check your registration and ballot status at sos.ca.gov/elections. California lets you register and vote the same day at a vote center.
More races and measures: our 2026 election hub.