Step-by-step guide on how to track your California mail-in ballot

California voters should start seeing mail‑in ballots for the June primary in their mailboxes in the coming days.

Voters will be asked to pick a gubernatorial candidate to advance to November's general election, as well as to vote in a myriad of other statewide races, including lieutenant governor and secretary of state.

If you're worried you haven't gotten your ballot, or you want to see if it's been counted after you've turned it in, you may want to check out California's statewide ballot-tracking service, Where's My Ballot.

The service, powered by BallotTrax, lets voters see when their vote‑by‑mail ballot is mailed, received, and counted.

Here's a step-by-step on how to sign up for Where's My Ballot.

How to track your ballot

California offers a statewide ballot‑tracking service called “Where’s My Ballot?” The service, powered by BallotTrax, lets voters see when their vote‑by‑mail ballot is mailed, received, and counted.

Voters can sign up for the service by visiting the BallotTrax website.

Once you arrive on the webpage, you can navigate to the form on the right side of the webpage, where you will be prompted to provide the following:

• First and last name
• Date of birth
• Residential ZIP code

You can then click "register/log in" and be taken to a contact preferences page. From there, you can select what kinds of alerts you would like to opt into, including email, text, or phone updates.

The updates include:

• When a ballot has been delivered
• The date that a voter's ballot is expected to be delivered to the voter
• If a voter's ballot is returned as undeliverable to the county elections official by the USPS
• When a voter's completed ballot has been received by the county
• Whether a voter's completed ballot has been accepted, or the reason why the ballot could not be accepted, and instructions on the steps the voter can take in order to have the ballot accepted
• The deadline for a voter to return his or her ballot if the county has not received a voter's completed ballot by the specified dates, as determined by the county elections official

You can also limit the hours during which messages can be sent, as well as choose from 10 different language preferences.

The website should then take you to a page that shows the status of the your ballot, such as when your ballot was mailed, or if it has been delivered to your address.

After signing up for the Where's My Ballot service, you should get confirmation via email, text, or phone, depending on which alerts you've opted to receive.

What to do if you don’t get a ballot (or something’s wrong)

If you don't receive your ballot in the mail, you'll want to check your registration. You confirm you are an active registered voter and that your mailing address is accurate by visiting the California Secretary of State's "My Voter Status" webpage.

You can also check with your county election office. You can find a list of county election offices, along with their addresses and phone numbers, on the California Secretary of State's website.

If you've confirmed that you are a registered voter and your address is correct, but still do not receive your ballot in the mail, here's what you should do:

• If it’s more than about a week before Election Day, you can call or email your county elections office and ask them to mail you a replacement ballot.
• Within the final days before June 2, officials may not mail another ballot because it might not arrive in time. Instead, you can go in person to your county elections office, vote center, or polling place to get a replacement ballot or vote there.

If your ballot is damaged, lost, or you make a mistake, here's what you can do:

• You can request a replacement ballot from your county elections office, often by completing a replacement ballot form available on the California Secretary of State's website. The form must be returned to your county election office in person or by mail.
• You can also surrender your spoiled ballot at a vote center or polling place and receive a new one, or vote provisionally if needed.

The bottom line: If you don’t see a ballot or have a problem with the one you received, contact your county elections office as soon as possible, or go in person to a vote center or elections office to get a new one.

How to register to vote for June primary

To register to vote, you can do so online through the California Secretary of State’s website.  

"You can also pick up an application at your county elections office, any Department of Motor Vehicles office, and many post offices, public libraries, and government offices," according to the state's website. "To have a paper application mailed to you, call your county elections office or the Secretary of State's toll-free voter hotline at (800) 345-VOTE (8683)." 

The last day to register for June's primary is Monday, May 18.

Key dates and links

Some key dates for the June primary include:

• May 4: County elections officials will begin mailing each registered voter a vote‐by‐mail ballot.
• May 5: Ballot drop‐off locations open.
• May 18: Last day to register for the June primary
• May 23: Voting centers open for Voter's Choice Act counties for early in-person voting
• June 2: Election Day — polls open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m.