Frequently Asked Questions About Elections

According to state law, California voters are not required to show identification before they cast their ballots. However, if you are voting for the first time after registering online or by mail and did not provide your California Driver License number, California Identification number or the last four digits of your Social Security number on your registration form, you may be asked to show a form of identification when you go to the polls.

If a voted mail ballot is returned after a voter has already voted at the Registrar of Voters office, an Early Vote site, or a polling place, the ballot sorter recognizes and rejects the second ballot. If a voter attempts to vote in person after returning a voted mail ballot, election workers will check-in the voter using an electronic roster (or Poll Pad) that will identify whether the voter has already voted in the election. If the voter states he or she has not voted in this election, the voter may cast a provisional ballot, and County staff will research the voter’s participation in the election before accepting or rejecting the provisional ballot.

Attempting to vote more than once is a crime punishable by up to three years in prison. Voters who attempt to vote more than once in an election will be referred to the San Bernardino County District Attorney for investigation and potential prosecution.

Yes. Voters may return their voted ballots to any mail ballot drop box or voting location in any county in California. The County Elections Official will forward the ballot to the county that issued the ballot.

Yes. A voter may authorize any person to return their mail ballot. The authorized person returning a voter’s mail ballot is required to provide their name and signature on the mail ballot identification envelope. The authorized person shall return the mail ballot in person, or put the mail ballot in the mail.

Your official mail ballot identification envelope has a barcode that identifies it as yours. When you return your voted ballot to the Registrar of Voters, your mail ballot envelope will be scanned on a mail sorting machine, capturing an image of your signature.

County staff will verify your signature on the mail ballot identification envelope compares to the signature on your voter registration record before the ballot is removed from the envelope and counted.

If your signature does not compare to the signature on file with your voter registration or you forget to sign your ballot identification envelope, the Registrar of Voters will notify you by mail, attempt to reach you by phone or email, and provide you with an opportunity to resolve the issue.

The most common reasons for mail ballots to be rejected are that the voter’s signature did not compare to the voter’s signature on file, or the voter didn’t sign the mail ballot identification envelope. The Registrar of Voters will notify voters by mail, attempt to reach you by phone or email, and provide them with an opportunity to resolve their issue.

Another reason for ballots to be rejected is the ballot was received too late. Voters must return their voted ballot by 8 p.m. on November 5 at any polling location, mail ballot drop box or the Registrar of Voters office. Ballots that are mailed must be postmarked on or before Election Day: Tuesday, November 5.

The Registrar of Voters staff and trained temporary staff are responsible for processing and counting mail ballots. All personnel handling this process must pass background checks and receive training.

At polling places, voters will be able to mark their choices on a paper ballot. Voters who cannot mark a paper ballot without assistance may use an accessible ballot-marking device that will print the voter’s ballot after the voter makes their choices.

Electioneering and corrupting the voting process is prohibited within the immediate vicinity of a person in line to cast their ballot or within 100 feet of the entrance of a polling place, curbside voting or drop box. Violations can lead to fines and/or imprisonment.

For more information on specific electioneering prohibitions, please refer to Article 7 of Chapter 4 of Division 18 of the California Elections Code. For more information on specific prohibitions on activity related to corruption of the voting process, please refer to Chapter 6 of Division 18 of the California Elections Code.

The Registrar of Voters processes are transparent and open for observation, including:

  • Testing of the voting system equipment used to count ballots prior to their use in the election
  • Examination of signatures on the mail ballot identification envelopes
  • Removal of the ballots from the envelopes
  • Counting of the ballots on high-speed, accurate ballot scanners
  • Hand-counting of at least one percent of the precincts and one percent of the mail ballots to audit the accuracy of the scanners
  • Testing of the voting system equipment used to count ballots after their use in the election

Yes. You must be at least 18 years of age and a registered voter in the State of California, and read, write, and understand English. You must commit to working one (1) day (November 5), attend a mandatory two-hour training session, and have transportation to the polling place. Poll workers in San Bernardino County are paid a stipend for each day worked. To sign up, visit Elections.SBCounty.gov/Election-Workers.

Any California registered voter may vote in the Presidential Primary Election. To check your voter registration status, use My Elections Gateway on the Registrar of Voters website or visit VoterStatus.sos.ca.gov. If you need to update your voter registration or find out if you are eligible to register to vote, you can visit the California Online Voter Registration page at RegisterToVote.ca.gov.

A person can register to vote and vote if they are:

  • A United States citizen and a resident of California,
  • 18 years old or older on Election Day,
  • Not currently serving a state or federal prison term for the conviction of a felony, and
  • Not currently found mentally incompetent to vote by a court

If you meet these requirements, you can vote even if you:

  • Have a misdemeanor conviction (a misdemeanor will never prevent you from voting)
  • Are on parole or probation
  • Are on post-release community supervision (PRCS)

If you were registered to vote and convicted of a felony, your previous registration may have been canceled. Visit RegisterToVote.ca.gov or fill out a paper registration form to register to vote.

To confirm your address with the Registrar of Voters, visit Elections.SBCounty.gov or check VoterStatus.sos.ca.gov.

Need to update your address? Re-register at RegisterToVote.ca.gov or, if you’ve moved within San Bernardino County, submit an In-County Change of Address Form via email, mail, or in person.

If you miss the October 21 deadline, update your address at an Early Vote site or polling place.

Ballot Marking Devices are available at each voting location and include the following options:

  • Audio, large print, high contrast, controls for speed and volume, use controller or use touch screen
  • Bring your own headset or use ours
  • Adaptable for sip-and-puff devices.

Remote Accessible Vote by Mail

  • Voters may use their computer to mark an accessible ballot. Once marked, voters print their ballot and return it to the Registrar of Voters office using a mail ballot identification envelope.

Curbside Voting

Voters with disabilities may take advantage of our easy-to-navigate curbside voting option.

Follow these instructions:

  1. At your assigned polling place, park in the location designated for curbside voting.
  2. Use your cellphone to call for curbside voting assistance. The phone number is printed on the curbside voting sign. Be ready to provide the name of your polling place and make, model and color of your vehicle to the operator.
  3. Poll workers will be out to assist you soon

Mail ballots are delivered to the United States Postal Service beginning October 7.

If you do not receive a mail ballot, you can request a replacement ballot by mail before Tuesday, October 29, by calling (800) 881-VOTE (8683) or (909) 387-8300, or emailing MailBallots@rov.sbcounty.gov. Include your name, residence address, mailing address, and date of birth. After October 29, replacement ballots must be requested in person at the Registrar of Voters, an Early Vote site or your assigned polling place.

If you make a mistake on your ballot, you can simply make a notation correcting your vote. Please do not initial or sign your name after the correction.

If you prefer, you may request a replacement ballot by mail no later than October 29, by calling (800) 881-VOTE (8683) or (909) 387-8300, or by emailing MailBallots@rov.sbcounty.gov. Include your name, residence address, mailing address, and date of birth. After October 29, replacement ballots must be requested in person at the Registrar of Voters, an Early Vote site or your assigned polling place.

Yes! A blank contest on a ballot is referred to as an undervote, which occurs when a voter intentionally or unintentionally does not vote in a specific contest.

The County’s voting system vendor recommends the use of Sharpie pens for marking ballots because the high-speed ballot scanners read the ink better. Also, the ink dries fast.

Ballot scanners only read marks in the oval voting target areas of the ballots. The ovals on one side of a ballot card do NOT align with the ovals on the other side of the card, so – if bleed-through occurs – it is not read by the ballot scanner.

However, voters are not required to use a Sharpie to mark their ballot. Blue or black ballpoint pens are available for use at the polls.

You have four ways to cast a voted ballot this election.

  1. Vote by mail
  2. Mail Ballot Drop-Off Location
  3. Early Vote Site
  4. Polling Place

Please be sure to check the back cover of your Voter Information Guide (mailed to your mailing address) to find your assigned polling place. Please note that you may have a new polling place.

In addition to voting by mail or at a mail ballot drop-off location, the Registrar of Voters office opens for early voting on Monday, February 5.

Early voting at additional locations will be available:

  • Tuesday, October 29 through Saturday, November 2, and
  • Monday, November 4.

Polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, November 5. Voters are encouraged to vote before Election Day as polling places may have significant lines.

For your mail ballot to be counted, your ballot must be:

  • Postmarked no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day, November 5, 2024.
  • Dropped off at any polling place on Election Day by 8 p.m.
  • Delivered to the Registrar of Voters by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
  • Deposited into a mail ballot drop box by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Yes. You can track when your ballot is mailed, received, and will be counted through the Secretary of State’s Where’s My Ballot tracking system. You can sign up to receive notifications about the status of your mail ballot via email, text message, and/or telephone call. Sign up at WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov.

Yes, you may use one of the following two websites to look up the status of your ballot:

  • My Voter Status on the Secretary of State’s website allows you to look up the status of your ballot. This service provides similar messages to the notifications sent by Where’s My Ballot from “ballot mailed” to “accepted” or “rejected.”
  • My Elections Gateway on the Registrar of Voters’ website allows you to look up the status of your ballot if you voted by mail.

If you receive this message, you will have an opportunity to resolve the issue with your mail ballot up until two days before the Registrar of Voters certifies the results of the election.

In addition to a notification from Where’s My Ballot, you will receive a letter from the Registrar of Voters that describes the issue and how to solve it. The three solvable mail ballot issues are:

  • Voter did not sign the mail ballot identification envelope
  • Signature on the mail ballot identification envelope does not compare to the signature in the voter’s registration record
  • First-time voter did not provide sufficient identification information when registering to vote and must provide ID when voting the first time

Voters may return an Unsigned Ballot Statement, Signature Verification Statement, or a copy of their ID by dropping a copy off at the Registrar of Voters office, by mail, by fax, or by emailing a photographed or scanned copy of the statement or ID.

If you receive this notification, the issue cannot be solved. The reasons the Registrar of Voters will reject a mail ballot, include:

  • You already voted in this election when we received your mail ballot
  • Your mail ballot identification envelope did not contain a ballot
  • Your mail ballot identification envelope contained more than one ballot
  • Your mail ballot identification envelope was postmarked after November 5, 2024

Voters receive the status of their ballot by signing up for BallotTrax on the Secretary of State’s website.  BallotTrax status messages use language from the Secretary of State and all counties’ voters receive the same messages.  When voters vote at polling places, they check-in using an electronic roster, which sends a message to BallotTrax, and BallotTrax sends the voter a status message.  In San Bernardino County, polling place ballots are counted once they are returned to the Registrar of Voters’ office on Election Night, not at the polling place.

Secure, accessible, and locked ballot boxes are made available for ballot drop-offs starting on October 7th through 8 p.m. on Election Day. Outdoor mail ballot drop boxes are made of heavy 18-gauge steel; equipped with security features, such as minimal ballot insertion slots, and water and fireproof materials; locked; and bolted to concrete on the inside of the box to deter theft. Ballot drop-off locations are placed in areas that have higher public visibility, and ballots are picked up by official election workers on a regular basis for processing.

San Bernardino County uses a voting system certified by the California Secretary of State. The State has developed one of the most strenuous voting system testing and certification programs in the country (https://votingsystems.cdn.sos.ca.gov/cert-and-approval/review-testing-overview.pdf). California counties are required to abide these stringent rules and regulations regarding implementation and use of a voting system.

Maintaining cybersecurity and the integrity of elections is a constant top priority. State and federal agencies evaluate our systems and offer the latest best practices in technology and processes to ensure the integrity of this election. As a result, we have implemented stronger cybersecurity measures, and continually evaluate and upgrade our systems.

No. The County tests the accuracy of our voting system software and equipment three separate times each election:

  • Before voting begins, pre-marked test ballots are run through the ballot scanners to make sure they total the votes accurately.
  • During the election canvass period, the paper ballots from at least one percent of the precincts and one percent of the mail ballots are randomly selected and hand-counted to audit the accuracy of the ballot scanners.
  • After the election results are certified, the pre-marked test ballots are run through the ballot scanners again to make sure they still total the votes accurately.

All three of these activities are observable by any member of the public.

Vendors and County officials follow strict physical security and chain-of-custody requirements for all voting technology software, firmware, and hardware, all of which meet or exceed federal guidance including that of the U.S. Department of Justice, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the Election Assistance Commission.

The Registrar of Voters may only use voting technologies approved for use by the California Secretary of State. A list of voting technologies approved for use in California can be found on the Secretary of State’s website, here: https://votingsystems.cdn.sos.ca.gov/cert-and-approval/vote-sys-appr-in-ca-10-30-23.pdf

No. According to California Elections Code section 19205, “no part of a voting system shall be connected to the internet at any time, or electronically receive or transmit election data through any exterior communications network.”

It’s California state law. Assembly Bill 969 prohibits manual vote counting for most elections. However, during the canvass of every election, ROV hand-counts ballots in at least one percent of the precincts and voted mail ballots to audit the accuracy of the ballot scanners.

When the current voting system contract expires, the ROV will once again use the procurement process to request vendors of voting systems certified by the California Secretary of State to submit proposals for our voting system requirements.

Getting the word out to all voters about the different voting options is a top priority.

A full public education campaign is being implemented by the County, working in collaboration with cities, the different political parties, local news media, and a variety of non-government organizations and nonprofits. Social media and traditional advertising will be used, as well as a pop-up voter education tour around San Bernardino County called the BallotMobile: Traveling Voter Education.

To receive a toolkit of voter education materials, contact Communications@rov.sbcounty.gov.

The Registrar of Voters provides language assistance in Chinese, Indonesian, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai and Vietnamese to voters who would have difficulty voting in English without assistance.

  • Translated sample ballots are available in Chinese, Indonesian, Korean, Tagalog, Thai and Vietnamese at all Early Vote sites and polling places in San Bernardino County.
  • For your convenience, you may request a translated sample ballot be mailed or emailed to you in advance:
  • You may bring one or two people to assist you with marking your ballot.

Our Spanish-language website is available at https://elections.sbcounty.gov/es/.

 

The BallotMobile is a traveling voter education initiative designed to reach county voters and provide voter education materials. This traveling voter education program takes a novel approach to reaching all current and future voters in a large geographic county.

You can request the BallotMobile team to come to your event in the county to bring voter education materials, fun giveaways and the famous Instagram wall.

Complete and return the Application to Request the BallotMobile: Traveling Voter Education.  You may email Communications@rov.sbcounty.gov or call (909) 387-8300 if you have questions about requesting the BallotMobile at your event.

If you receive a ballot addressed to someone that has passed away, please notify the Registrar of Voters (ROV) by writing the word “Deceased” on the front of the envelope and returning it by mail. Upon receipt, state law requires ROV to send a notification to the address of the deceased voter to confirm that the correct individual has been identified. If the voter does not notify the Registrar of Voters within 15 days that the ROV received incorrect information, the voter’s registration will be cancelled per Elections Code section 2201.

The Registrar of Voters (ROV) receives information on deceased voters when notified by the Department of Public Health, the SOS, or third-party notifications, such as the spouse of the deceased, and when notified, ROV processes this information. By law, ROV sends a notification to voters who have been identified as deceased. If the voter does not notify the Registrar of Voters within 15 days that we received incorrect information, the voter’s registration will be cancelled per Elections Code section 2201.

No. The BallotMobile provides voter education resources and materials such as brochures on the four ways to vote, voter registration forms, election-worker applications, and election information.

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