Your Election Day plan: November 3, 2026

This page is a short plan for voting in California on November 3, 2026. It is general information, not legal advice. Who can vote, and how family members who cannot vote can still take part, is in Who can vote, and how the whole family can take part in civic life.

Choose how you will vote

• By mail. Fill in your ballot, sign and date the envelope, and mail it. Sign up for Where's My Ballot to get updates on your ballot by text, email or voice call.
• At a drop box. Use any official drop box in California by 8 p.m. on November 3. Official locations are listed at caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov and on your county's website.
• In person. Vote at a vote center or polling place. In Voter's Choice Act counties, vote centers opened October 24. Early voting locations across California are open Saturday, October 31. On Election Day, polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• In line at 8 p.m.? Stay in line. You have the right to vote if you are in line when the polls close (Voter Bill of Rights).

Lost or damaged ballot? Ask your county elections office for a replacement by phone or email, use the replacement ballot application, or vote in person.

Getting help to vote

• Someone to help you mark your ballot. You can choose up to two people. They cannot be your employer, your union leader, or anyone who works for either.
• Disability access. Every polling place and vote center has an accessible voting machine. You can ask for curbside voting at the curb or in your car. Voters with disabilities can also ask the county about remote accessible vote by mail, which lets you mark your ballot at home.
• Language help. Voting locations offer language help. The state voter guide comes in Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai and Vietnamese, and in audio and large print.
• Hotlines in your language. English (800) 345-8683, Spanish (800) 232-8682, Chinese (800) 339-2857, Hindi (888) 345-2692, Japanese (800) 339-2865, Khmer (888) 345-4917, Korean (866) 575-1558, Tagalog (800) 339-2957, Thai (855) 345-3933, Vietnamese (800) 339-8163, TTY 711.

Your county elections office can answer questions about your ballot and places to vote: find your county elections office.

If something goes wrong

Ask a poll worker first. Most problems have a fix right there.

• Your name is not on the list. Ask for a provisional ballot. It counts once officials confirm you are eligible.
• You made a mistake on your ballot. Ask for a new one before you cast it. You can also trade in a mail ballot at a polling place or the elections office.
• Someone pressures you or tells you how to vote. You have the right to a secret ballot without anyone bothering you. Tell a poll worker, then call the voter hotline, (800) 345-VOTE (8683), or your county elections office. Write down the time, the place and what happened.
• Officers near the polling place. On Election Day, state law limits arrests within 200 feet of an open polling place, with exceptions. It does not promise that officers stay away, and federal agencies may contest whether it applies to them. What it covers: Can immigration agents or police be at my polling place?

Print your plan