CALIFORNIA, USA — How to make sure your vote is counted in the California recall election
For the California Gubernatorial Recall election, every registered voter in California will receive a ballot by mail, just like during the 2020 Presidential Election.
Some counties that have implemented the Voter's Choice Act have been operating this way for past elections, but for others this process is somewhat new. Either way, there's a variety of ways voters can turn in their ballot. We've outlined everything you need to know in order to ensure your ballot is counted.
All ballots in California should have started mailing out to registered voters by Monday, Aug. 16. To register or check your registration status to ensure your address is correct, visit the Secretary of State's website.
All Californians must be registered by Monday, Aug. 30, in order to receive a ballot in the mail. When you do receive that ballot, you can simply cast your vote by filling it out and mailing it back.
WATCH: More than a million ballots already cast in California recall election
Passed out man found with 300 California recall ballots
California authorities are investigating why a man found passed out in a car had more than 300 unopened mail-in ballots for the gubernatorial recall election.
Torrance police say the man was arrested on Aug. 16 after being found in a store parking lot. Police, the U.S. Postal Service and Los Angeles County district attorney’s public integrity unit are trying to determine how the ballots ended up in the suspect’s vehicle and what his intent was in having them.
Police say the man was a felon who had drugs, a gun, thousands of pieces of mail, a scale and multiple driver licenses and credit cards in other people’s names.
Gallery: 2021 California Gubernatorial Recall candidates
Key Dates
- Aug. 4 - Republican recall candidates debate
- Aug. 7 - Republican Party virtual delegate vote
- Aug. 16 - First day to vote by mail
- Aug. 17 - Republican Party debate #2 in Sacramento
- August 30 - Last day to register to vote
- Sept. 14 - Recall election day
California Recall Fast Facts
On July 17, California Secretary of State Shirley Weber released a list of the 41 candidates who qualified to run in the recall election. About 70 candidates initially filed a statement of intent to run with the secretary of state, according to Ballotpedia.
On July 21, Weber signed off on the finalized list of candidates who'll appear on the recall ballot. The number grew to 46 after a judge ruled that candidates should not be required to submit tax forms for a recall election.
The final day for candidates to file paperwork to run in the recall election was July 16.
The final report from the Secretary of State's office, released on June 23, validated 1,719,943 signatures on the recall petition. The recall effort needed 1,495,709 verified signatures to trigger a recall election. Approximately 441,406 signatures were invalidated.
Only 43 people of the more than 1.7 million Californians who signed the recall petition chose to remove their name from the list.
On July 1, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis finalized the cost of the election at $276 million.