2026 midterm elections: What to KnowCalifornia props explained: Each California prop on November election ballot explained in 1 minute or lessWhen is the deadline to vote? Election Day is Nov. 3, 2026. For more important dates, click here. Where to vote early: Early voting is underway starting Oct. 24 through to the final day of voting on Nov. 3. Find a list of those Vote Centers here, and be sure to check their dates and hours.How to vote by mail: Every San Diego County voter receives a ballot in the mail. Fill it out, sign it, and return it at hundreds of drop-off locations across the county. Voting is underway for the 2026 midterm election. After casting a ballot, California voters can track its progress to ensure their vote is counted. Here’s how. Sign up for the ballot tracker The California Secretary of State has a handy service called “Where’s My Ballot?” that notifies you when your ballot is mailed, received, and counted. It’s fairly simple and here’s how it works. Once you turn in your ballot, head to the San Diego County Registrar of Voters’ website. There, you will be prompted to visit the State of California’s BallotTrax website. Once there, sign up like this: Input your first and last name, birthday and zip code as prompted Under “Contact Preference,” select how you would like to receive notifications about your ballot. You can select email, text and voicemails. You can also change your preferences for language and notification hours Click “update” after selecting your preferred means of communication The state’s BallotTrax dashboard will show you the status of your mail ballot. Whether it’s been delivered, is en route for review, or is complete, you can track its process there. The website also shows you what previous mail-in ballots were sent to you and the status of those. Where to drop off your ballot 🗳️ Official Ballot Boxes Dropping off your ballot is as easy as finding any of the Registrar’s Official Ballot Boxes located around the county and slipping it in. The Registrar of Voters offers a list of ballot drop box locations near you. Remember to check the hours for your location. You can also return your ballot by mail promptly so that it is received before the final day of voting, Nov. 3. To mail your ballot, a search tool from the U.S. Postal Service can help you find a blue box near you. However, vote-by-mail return envelopes MUST be postmarked on or before Election Day and the Registrar of Voters office must receive it no later than Nov. 10. 🗳️ Vote Centers Starting Oct. 24 through to the final day of voting on Nov. 3, you can also drop your ballot off at any Vote Center. A list of Vote Centers is available on the Registrar of Voters website. Be sure to check their dates and hours. Vote Centers will also be open starting Oct. 24 for in-person voting. Did you lose your ballot or did not receive it? If you did not receive your vote-by-mail ballot or if you have lost or destroyed your original vote-by-mail ballot, you may apply in writing for a replacement vote-by-mail ballot. This application must be completed and signed by the voter. The application is available on the Registrar of Voters website. ...read more read less