115,260 Vote-by-Mail Ballots Delivered to West Sacramento Processing and Distribution Center

October 5, 2020

Today, Yolo County Elections officials delivered 115,260 Vote-by-Mail ballots to the West Sacramento Processing and Distribution Center. These ballots will be mailed to registered voters across the county beginning today. Elections officials toured the Processing and Distribution Center and met with United States Postal Service (USPS) representatives to ensure procedures and protocols are in place for the timely delivery and processing of ballots.

“The integrity of the delivery and processing of Vote-by-Mail ballots is our top priority. We have an excellent relationship with the local USPS representatives and have been working to ensure secure and smooth deliveries of Vote-by-Mail ballots to all active registered Yolo County voters,” says Jesse Salinas, Yolo County Assessor/Clerk-Recorder/Registrar of Voters.

Per Governor Newsom’s Executive Order and Assembly Bill 423, every active, registered voter will be mailed a ballot for the November 3, 2020 General Election. This is part of California’s response to the COVID-19 Pandemic by providing every voter a safe, secure option for casting their ballot.

Every Vote-by-Mail ballot comes with a first-class postage paid return envelope. California has extended the time for completed Vote-by-Mail ballots to arrive back to county elections officials. Completed Vote-by-Mail ballots will be processed and counted as long as they are postmarked on or before Election Day and received by county elections officials no later than November 20, 2020.

Voters can also return their completed Vote-by-Mail ballots to any ballot drop box, voting location, or county elections office.

Partnership between Elections Officials and USPS

  • Elections officials and the USPS have regular meetings to prepare for the General Election. If any issues are identified with Vote-by-Mail ballots, USPS is contacted immediately.
  • County elections officials work closely with the USPS to review and approve the design of Vote-by-Mail envelopes and other election mail pieces to ensure machine compatibility and the seamless delivery and return of ballots.
  • Ballots featured the postal service’s Official Election Mail Logo that allows postal workers and letter carriers to recognize it as essential election mail.
  • USPS also conduct daily sweeps of processing areas and require staff to certify no unprocessed ballot mail remains.

Click here to view the Secretary of State’s USPS FAQs

What Voters Can do to Prepare for the November 3, 2020 General Election

Voters are encouraged to take the following steps:

  • Sign-up for Vote-by-Mail ballot tracking at WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov. Voters who sign-up will receive automated notifications about their Vote-by-Mail ballots by email, text (SMS), or voice call.
  • Make a plan for voting. With the COVID-19 pandemic, voters are encouraged to vote early this year, and Vote-by-Mail if possible. Social distancing and other health guidelines may lead to longer than normal lines on Election Day.
  • Make sure you sign and date the back of your Vote-by-Mail ballot return envelopes. Every voter’s signature on the Vote-by-Mail ballot return envelope is compared against the voter’s registration record. If a signature is missing or does not match the registration record, elections officials will reach out to the voter to try and resolve the matter. If the voter does not respond and provide the missing or corrected signature, the ballot will not count.

We encourage Yolo County residents to connect with Yolo County ACE – Assessor/Clerk-Recorder/Elections on Facebook: @YoloACE, Instagram: @YoloCoACE, and Twitter: @YoloCoACE to receive the most up to date information about the upcoming election and live election night results.

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