Following Critical U.S. Supreme Court Victory, Attorney General Bonta Reaffirms Mail-In Voting Remains Safe and Secure for November General Election

SACRAMENTO - After recently leading a multistate coalition to victory at the U.S. Supreme Court in defense of vote-by-mail, and with county elections officials across the state beginning to mail ballots to all registered voters this week, California Attorney General Rob Bonta today held a press conference to reaffirm that voters can safely return their ballots by mail leading up to the Tuesday, November 3, 2026, General Election. Over 89 percent of Californians who voted in the June 2026 primary cast their ballots by mail, underscoring the important role vote-by-mail plays in Californians exercising their fundamental right to vote. Attorney General Bonta will hold additional press conferences in the coming weeks to share more information and resources with voters as key election dates approach.

"We are just four weeks from Election Day, and I know some Californians may be wondering whether everything coming out of Washington has changed how they can vote. The answer is no," said Attorney General Bonta. "We successfully secured a U.S. Supreme Court order that protects your ability to vote by mail, so you can continue to vote as you have in past elections -whether by mail, ballot drop box, early, or in-person on Election Day. My fellow attorneys general and I have been in close contact and are ready to take action against any new attempt to undermine voters' rights. With ballots beginning to arrive, I encourage everyone to vote early to ensure your voice is heard."

The Attorney General enforces California's election laws to ensure free and fair elections. In the lead-up to and on Election Day, the California Department of Justice will be on call to assist the Secretary of State's Office in enforcing California's election laws through a team of attorneys and administrative staff located across the state.

For up-to-date information on how to vote, check official websites, including sos.ca.gov/elections. Eligible Californians have until Monday, October 19 to register to vote at registertovote.ca.gov, or if after the deadline, register in-person through Same Day Voter Registration (Conditional Voter Registration). Voters can register to track their ballot and confirm that it is counted at wheresmyballot.sos.ca.gov.

Recent Court Victories Protecting Voting Rights

Attorney General Bonta has recently secured several court victories protecting Californians' access to the ballot and the administration of elections:

• Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the Trump Administration from imposing new mail-voting requirements ahead of the November 2026 election.
• Last month, the California Supreme Court ordered the return of approximately 650,000 voted ballots unlawfully seized by Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and affirmed the Attorney General's authority to supervise county sheriffs.
• In August, a California appellate court upheld a preliminary injunction blocking Shasta County's Measure B, which would have eliminated vote-by-mail and most early voting and imposed new voter registration and identification requirements.

Voting Early or On Time

Due to changes in the U.S. Postal mail service, in areas outside California's major coastal cities, a ballot dropped in the U.S. mail on Election Day might be collected too late to be counted. Under the U.S. Postal Service's new process, mail dropped off at post offices and mail collection boxes more than 50 miles from a U.S. Postal Service regional hub is collected the next day, instead of the same day. This means that, in some areas, ballots dropped off at a post office or mail collection box on Election Day won't be postmarked until the day after, making them late. Late ballots are not counted. Californians who plan to return their ballot by mail should do so at least a week before Election Day.

See below for some alternative ways to ensure your vote is counted:

• Drop off your ballot at a secure ballot drop-off box or vote center. Ballot drop-off boxes open today and remain available until Election Day.
• If you're cutting it close, drop off your completed mail ballot at a vote center on Election Day. According to a Postal Service spokesperson, "You should never be mailing your ballot on election day."
• Go to any post office and ask at the counter for a postmark on your ballot to ensure you get credit for mailing your ballot on time.

Voting Rights

The rights available to the public when voting are listed in the California Voter Bill of Rights. Those rights are the following:

• The right to vote if you are a registered voter.
• The right to vote if you are a registered voter, even if your name is not on the list of registered voters, by casting a provisional ballot.
• The right to vote if you are still in line when the polls close.
• The right to cast a secret ballot without anyone bothering you or telling you how to vote.
• The right to get a new ballot if you have made a mistake, if you have not already cast your ballot.
• The right to get help casting your ballot from anyone you choose, except from your employer or union representative.
• The right to drop off your completed vote-by-mail ballot at any polling place in California.
• The right to get election materials in a language other than English if enough people in your voting precinct speak that language.
• The right to ask questions to elections officials about election procedures and watch the election process.
• The right to report any illegal or fraudulent election activity to an elections official or the Secretary of State's Office.

The California Voter Bill of Rights is available in English,Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Tagalog, Thai, Vietnamese, Arabic,Armenian, Bengali, Burmese, Gujarati, Hmong, Ilocano, Indonesian, Laotian, Mien, Mongolian, Nepali, Persian, Punjabi, Syriac, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.

Denial of any of these rights can be reported in English through the Secretary of State's confidential toll-free Voter Hotline at (800) 345-VOTE (8683). Other language options, including Spanish, Tagalog, and Chinese, are available.In addition, reports can be made via email at [email protected]. Elections officials are encouraged to contact their local law enforcement regarding potential violations of law.