If your ballot is still on the kitchen table, don't put it in a mailbox. With Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3, officials say a ballot dropped in a U.S. Postal Service collection box now runs the risk of being postmarked too late to count, KQED reports.

Why mailing is risky now

California counts mailed ballots only if they are postmarked on or before Election Day and arrive within seven days. The Secretary of State advises mailing at least five days before Election Day. If you must mail on Tuesday, the state says to get a hand-stamped postmark. USPS says you can ask a retail associate at a post office counter to hand-cancel your mail for free.

Safer options for Tuesday

  • Official drop box: Open through the close of polls at 8 p.m. Tuesday. The state's online lookup tool lists drop-off locations by county and ZIP code.
  • Any voting location: You can hand in your sealed, signed ballot at a polling place, vote center or county elections office until 8 p.m.
  • Vote in person: Every Bay Area county registrar's office is open until 8 p.m. In San Francisco, that's City Hall.

Before you drop it off, KQED says, double-check that you signed the envelope and filled in the date and your address.

Vote center or polling place? It depends on your county

According to KQED:

  • San Francisco, Contra Costa and Solano assign you a specific polling place, printed in your voter materials. You can always vote at your county elections office instead, and Contra Costa says it can process your ballot wherever you show up.
  • Alameda, Marin, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Sonoma use vote centers. You can vote at any one in your county.

Bring the blank ballot you were mailed if you plan to vote in person. Some counties may otherwise have you vote provisionally, which still counts but takes longer to verify.

Not registered, or need to update?

If you moved, changed your name or want to switch parties, you can't re-register online on Election Day. But you can still use same-day (conditional) registration at a polling place or vote center and cast your ballot there before 8 p.m.

Find county-by-county details in our guides for Alameda, San Francisco, Santa Clara and Solano.