California voters urged to mail June primary ballots now amid post office changes
State election officials are urging voters to return or mail ballots as soon as possible ahead of June’s primary election, warning that recent U.S. Postal Service changes could delay delivery and prevent some ballots from being counted.
Officials also emphasized that voters can still return ballots in person at vote centers, polling places, county elections offices or official drop boxes through Election Day. Ballots also may still be mailed, but elections officials recommend voters obtain a hand cancellation or manual postmark from a USPS employee to document the mailing date.
Under new USPS procedures, ballots dropped off at post offices more than 50 miles from regional processing hubs may not be postmarked until the following day and may not be transported the same day they are postmarked. State election officials, including Secretary of State Shirley Weber, said the slower processing times could cause some mailed ballots to arrive too late to be counted.
“I want every Californian to have their vote counted, and the best way to make sure that happens is to vote early,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a May 5 statement. “Postal delivery timelines have changed, and mailing your ballot on Election Day could mean it arrives too late.”
How many ballots have been turned in
More than 2.1 million vote-by-mail ballots had been returned statewide, according to the latest Secretary of State ballot count posted Monday. The state reported 2,130,732 returned mail ballots and 2,148,850 total ballots cast when in-person ballots were included.
In the capital region, voters had returned 169,533 vote-by-mail ballots across Sacramento, Placer, Yolo and El Dorado counties. Sacramento County accounted for the largest share, with 101,026 mail ballots returned and 101,261 total ballots cast.
Placer County reported 40,536 returned mail ballots, followed by El Dorado County with 15,496 and Yolo County with 12,475. Across the four counties, most returned ballots came through the mail, though voters also had returned 48,878 ballots through drop boxes.
For comparison, 11.6 million Californians voted in last year’s Proposition 50 special election, including 856,148 voters across Sacramento, Placer, Yolo and El Dorado counties. Sacramento County alone had 503,687 voters in that election.
Ballot rejections for Prop. 50
Bonta pointed to a significant increase in ballots rejected for arriving late during last year’s special Proposition 50 election. According to a Los Angeles Times story last month, eight out of every 1,000 mail ballots were rejected — four times the rejection rate from the 2024 general election.
Rural areas were hit hardest because of reductions in mail pickup trips from local post offices, officials said.
For their vote to be counted via mail, it must be postmarked on or before June 2, and received by June 9.
Bonta and Weber encouraged voters with last-minute ballots to use vote centers or drop boxes on Election Day.
“If you haven’t already voted, make sure to vote by the deadline. Complete it, seal it, sign it, return it, and track it,” Weber said.
Bonta also issued a consumer alert warning about election misinformation, including social media posts urging Democrats to vote “late” to prevent a Republican victory. During a May 5 news conference, he urged voters to verify information before sharing it online and to be cautious of emotionally charged or sensational content.
