First step: Registration
Make sure you are registered to vote. If you are registered, and everything is correct, you will automatically receive your ballot in the first couple of weeks of October.
The deadline to register or make changes to your registration information is Monday, October 19.
Update your Registration
The deadline to register or make changes to your registration information is Monday, October 19. Please note that while the form is accessible online you must print, sign, and return this form by mail, email, fax, or in person, following the instructions on the printed form. To change your name or political party preference, you must re-register to vote.
Next step: Education
A wide variety of resources are available to get information on local, state and federal candidates, as well as, state and local ballot measures and propositions.
Personalized Ballot Information
Foremost is understanding what is going to be on your ballot.
Note: This information will be incomplete until early September 2020.
California State Propositions
- Easy Voter Guide (League of Women Voters® of California Education Fund and the California State Library) (Available September 4, 2020)
- CA Pros & Cons Guide (League of Women Voters® of California Education Fund)
- CA Secretary of State Official Voter Guide
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San Francisco Ballot Measures
- League of Women Voters of San Francisco Pros & Cons Guide
- San Francisco Department of Elections San Francisco Voter Information Pamphlet
Note: These guides will be available in early October, 2020
Local Elections
The League of Women Voters of San Francisco will host virtual nonpartisan Candidate Forums for the Board of Supervisors contests in Districts 1,7 and 11.
Registration is required through the following links:
Don’t know your district? Look it up with the help of the San Francisco Planning Department.
Last step: Vote!
Your Ballot Your Voice
So now you are registered and informed. It’s time to fill out your ballot and return it!
All registered voters in California will be mailed a vote-by-mail ballot by October 5, 2020.
We’re going to cover the “soup to nuts” of returning your vote-by-mail ballot.
Filling out your Ballot
If you make a mistake and need a replacement ballot, submit your request through the San Francisco Department of Elections Voter Portal or by call (415) 554-4375.
Tracking your Ballot
Check your registration status and track your ballot as it moves through the steps of printing, assembly, delivery, and processing using the San Francisco Department of Elections Voter Portal or CA Secretary of State Where's my Ballot?
Make sure your Ballot will be Counted!
Fill in your ballot as best you can. You do not have to vote on every contest, proposition or ballot measure. It is acceptable to skip some.
Sign the envelope! This is one of the top reasons your ballot could be rejected. Your signature on the return envelope will be compared to the signature on your voter registration record to ensure that they match. To preserve the secrecy of your ballot, the ballot will then be separated from the envelope and then it will be tallied.
Register with the CA Secretary of State Where's my Ballot? This program allows you to get email or SMS updates once your ballot is received, and counted.
Get it in on time! The best option is to drop off your ballot early and in-person at the City Hall Voting Center.
Return By Mail
To be counted, you must return your ballot on time!
If you return your ballot by mail, your ballot return envelope must be postmarked by Election Day, November 3 (check collection times if you use a blue USPS mailbox to mail your envelope on November 3).
If your blue USPS mailbox states that the last pick-up time is 3 pm, and you drop off your ballot at 3:15 pm, your ballot will not be counted!
Drop-off In-Person
From October 5 through November 3, you may visit a Voting Center to drop off your vote-by-mail ballot. #VoteEarly #VoteSafe and avoid the crowds!
The City Hall Voting Center will be set up outside of Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on 99 Grove Street between Polk and Larkin Streets.
- Every weekday, October 5 to November 2, from 8 am to 5 pm
- Two weekends, October 24 & 25 and October 31 & November 1, from 10 am to 4 pm
- Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, from 7 am to 8 pm (same voting hours as polling places).
On Election Day, November 3, you can drop off your vote-by-mail ballot at a local polling place or the City Hall Voting Center outside of Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on 99 Grove Street between Polk and Larkin Streets from 7 am to 8 pm.
If you return your ballot in person, you must do so no later than 8 pm on Election Day, November 3. All 588 polling places throughout the City will be open for vote-by-mail ballot drop-off from 7 am to 8 pm on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3.
You may also return your ballot in any other county in California or authorize another person to drop off your ballot for you.
