Election 2026: Where Can I Drop Off My Midterm Ballot — or Vote Early?

California voters: the midterm elections are here. And if you’re registered to vote, your ballot will be on its way in the next few days if it hasn’t already arrived — ahead of Election Day itself on Nov. 3.

Wondering where to drop off your completed mail-in ballot in the Bay Area? Or where you can vote in person and find a polling place near you? What about if you prefer to vote on Election Day itself?

Keep reading for everything you need to know about submitting your vote in the California midterm elections. 

Jump straight to:

• How to find your closest voting location or ballot drop-off
• How to find your polling place on Election Day
• How to contact your county directly about voting

If you’re concerned you might have made a mistake when filling out your ballot, you can read our guide to addressing common errors on your ballot (before you mail it) — and find out how to get a fresh ballot or vote in person if you really messed up.

Once you complete your mail-in ballot, you can drop it off at an official drop box instead of mailing it via a U.S. Postal Service collection box. These secure drop boxes will open by Oct.5. Once you’ve placed your ballot into one of these drop boxes, it’ll then be taken straight to your county elections office.

You can also hand-deliver your ballot to any open voting location. The first vote centers open Oct. 24 in certain counties, with more early voting locations opening Oct. 31.

Submitting your ballot by hand this way is the top recommendation of Kim Alexander, president and founder of the non-partisan California Voter Foundation. If you live in one of the California counties which has adopted the “Sign & Go” system — which in the Bay Area are Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin and Napa — you can complete your ballot at at home, and then bring it to a participating vote center and sign the voter roster under penalty of perjury (just as you would for in-person voting) to submit it in person.

And if you live in a county which has adopted “Sign, Scan & Go”, like San Mateo, you can do all of the above and then scan your ballot yourself to have your vote recorded immediately at the voting site.

You can also, of course, fill your ballot out in-person at a voting location, and submit it directly there and then.

A few reasons the effort to hand-deliver your completed ballot instead of mailing it might be worth it:

• Peace of mind: There’s a satisfaction that comes with knowing your ballot should now travel straight to your county elections office rather than going through USPS collection and sorting for delivery
• Timing: If it’s Election Day itself, using a drop box or a voting location to drop off your ballot is the best way to be sure it’ll reach your county elections office in time to be counted
• Assistance: If you drop off your ballot at a voting location during operating hours and you have a few lingering questions about your ballot or the process, chances are good that you’ll find someone there to help answer them.

Regardless of how you deliver it, you can sign up to track your ballot’s progress with the “Where’s My Ballot?” online tool and be reassured it’s on its way to being counted.

Yes, you can mail your completed ballot via the U.S. Postal Service at any regular collection box — but it’s best to do this early. 

The envelope is postage paid, so it doesn’t require a stamp, and it’ll be counted as long as it’s postmarked by Election Day and arrives at your county registrar’s office by Nov. 3.

Be aware that when it comes to using USPS, in the last two statewide elections, Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Attorney General Rob Bonta urged any voters planning to mail in their ballots at least a week before Election Day — to account for changes in the way USPS is collected and postmarked in many areas. 

Related Article

If it’s Election Day itself, for peace of mind that your ballot will reach your county elections office in time to be counted, you should drop off your ballot in an official drop box or voting location instead of using USPS (see above).

If you can’t do that, Weber’s office is recommending you “get a hand-stamped postmark from a postal employee inside a United States Post Office” rather than simply dropping it in a USPS collection box on Election Day. 

And if you really have to use a collection box, be very sure you don’t miss the last collection time for that specific mailbox (which at many locations is 5 p.m. or earlier). You also shouldn’t drop off your ballot on Election Day at a post office that’s already closed — since doing either of these things will mean your ballot will not be postmarked on Election Day and it won’t be counted when it reaches your county’s election office.

Read more about what California election officials say about using USPS this election season.

Where can I vote in person on Election Day?

On Election Day, in-person voting is still available at every county registrar’s office (also known as your county’s elections office) in the Bay Area. If you’re a San Francisco voter, this location will be City Hall. Find your county registrar’s office and opening hours.

Check your mail-in ballot to see where you can vote and whether you’ve been assigned a specific polling place.

If you live in San Francisco, Contra Costa or Solano counties:

You are assigned a specific polling place, though Contra Costa County election officials say they can process your ballot no matter where you show up to vote.

But even if you live in a county that assigns you a particular polling place, you can still vote at your county registrar’s office.

If you live in Alameda, Marin, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara or Sonoma counties:

You can vote at any voting location — known as Vote Centers — including your county registrar’s office.

You can find your voting location through the state’s lookup tool.

Do I need to bring my ballot with me?

If you’d like to cast a ballot in person, it’s a good idea to bring the blank ballot you were mailed, as some counties may require you to vote provisionally if you don’t bring it. If you’re issued a new ballot when you vote in person, any ballot you left at home will be canceled.

Provisional votes are subject to extra checks — confirming that you’re actually registered to vote in California, or that you didn’t already complete and mail your ballot — and this extra layer of confirmation takes time. That means that although your vote will eventually be counted, it might not be tallied on Election Day itself.

The official deadline to register online to vote is Monday, Oct. 19.

Remember, if you’ve changed your name or want to change the political party choice you previously registered to vote with or you moved address, you’ll need to re-register.

But if you miss the deadline to register, don’t panic: After Oct. 19, you can still complete the same-day voter registration process (also known as “conditional voting”) and request your ballot in person at your county elections office or polling location. This system enables you to fill out and submit your ballot then and there, up until when polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day.

In addition to voter registration, many voting locations also offer replacement ballots, accessible voting machines and language assistance.

Secure drop boxes open by Oct. 5, and the first vote centers open Oct. 24 in certain counties, with more early voting locations opening Oct. 31.

Visit the state of California lookup tool, where you can:

• Enter your county (adding your city or ZIP code will give more localized results, but it’s optional)
• Check the “Early Voting” and/or “Drop Off Location” boxes
• Hit “Search” to see all the early voting and drop-off locations in that area.

Remember that in-person voting hours may differ by location, and some locations may not be open every day.

Across the Bay Area, elections officials are encouraging voters to reach out — early — with any questions or concerns. Here’s the contact information for your county:

• Alameda: For information about voting by mail, registration and polling place lookup, call 510-267-8683
• Contra Costa: Call 925-335-7800 or email [email protected]
• Marin: Call 415-473-6456 or go to the Marin County elections webpage to send a form email
• Napa: Call 707-253-4321 or email the elections office at [email protected]
• San Francisco: Call 415-554-4375 or email [email protected]
• San Mateo: Call 888-762-8683 or email [email protected]
• Santa Clara: Call toll-free at 866-430-VOTE (8683)​ or email [email protected]​​
• Solano: Call 707-784-6675 or 888-933-VOTE (8683). You can also email [email protected]
• Sonoma: Call 707-565-6800 or toll-free at 800-750-8683

The state also has a full list of every county elections office in California.