5 things to do to make sure your California recall election ballot gets counted

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is facing a recall election, and voters have until Tuesday to weigh in on it.

If more than 50% of California voters choose to recall Newsom, California will have a new governor.

Ballots have been sent out in the mail to every registered voter in the state, although some voters in Northern California may not have gotten theirs because of wildfires.

Every county in the state is also offering in-person voting, for those who prefer it or who need extra help.

Here are five things you can do to make sure that your ballot gets counted in the recall election.

Make sure you are registered to vote

You must be registered to vote in order to do so. You can check your registration status by visiting this website.

The deadline for registering to vote in time for the Sept. 14 recall election was Aug. 30. However, if you missed that deadline you can still vote in the election.

In order to do so, you must register to vote with a conditional ballot, which you can do at your county election office, polling place or vote center. You can find your nearest polling place by visiting this website. You may conditionally register up to, and including, Election Day.

Make sure your signature is correct

After you fill out your ballot, you must seal your ballot and then sign the return envelope.

Election officials will use the envelope signature in order to verify that the ballot is authentic, comparing it to the signature on your voter registration card.

In the event that the signatures do not match, the election office will contact you in an attempt to reconcile the difference.

To avoid this happening, make sure that you sign your ballot clearly and that it matches your voter registration signature.

Mail or turn in your ballot by Sept. 14

Sept. 14 is the last day to vote in the recall election.

If you are filling out a mail-in ballot, that ballot must be postmarked no later than Sept. 14 to be accepted; election offices will accept mail-in ballots for up to seven days after Sept. 14.

If you would prefer to make sure your ballot gets turned in on time, you may do so in person by visiting your local county election office, polling place or vote center. You have until 8 p.m. on Sept. 14 to turn in your ballot if you want it to be counted.

Use the official ballot tracker

Once you’ve turned in your ballot, the California Secretary of State’s Office provides a resource that will help you track it. Visit here to track your ballot. You simply need to provide your first and last name, birth date and your ZIP code, and the ballot tracker will tell you the status of your ballot envelope.

You can also sign up for text or email updates on your ballot’s status.

Refer to your county election office if you need more help

When in doubt, your county election officials can help. Each county handles the election a little bit differently, so make sure to contact your local county election office if you have any questions about where to drop off your ballot, voting center hours, or how to get assistance with language or disability barriers that might make it harder for you to vote.

This story was originally published September 12, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "5 things to do to make sure your California recall election ballot gets counted."