California voters can choose to cast ballots for the Proposition 50 special election in person at a vote center, drop-off location, or by mail.However, those opting to mail their ballots for the Nov. 4 election should be aware of potential delays in postmarking, depending on their location. In short, if you’re planning to mail your ballot, don’t wait until Election Day. A U.S. Postal Service policy change that took effect in April could lead to delays in postmarking for California voters who live more than 50 miles from a regional hub, including in rural areas of Sacramento, San Joaquin, and Stanislaus counties.”In many parts of California, recent changes in the U.S. postal mail service mean your ballot may not be counted if you drop it off at a post office or a USPS mail box on election day,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said. “This is true for any community that is more than 50 miles from one of California’s six regional mail processing facilities.”Northern California has only two Postal Service hubs, located in West Sacramento and Richmond. The others are in Santa Clarita, Los Angeles, Bell Gardens and San Diego. Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley Weber have warned voters that the farther they live from a hub, the more likely their ballot could be delayed if sent by mail. In Stanislaus County, for example, voters are approximately 80 miles from the nearest USPS regional hub.Stanislaus County Registrar of Voters Donna Linder said, “They have just brought to light that currently, because they’ll be taken from here all the way to Sacramento to be postmarked, that that could possibly delay their postmark until the next day.”Linder emphasized that under the California Election Code, voter ballots must be postmarked by Election Day or they cannot be counted. In San Joaquin County, the situation is slightly different. Olivia Hale, San Joaquin County’s registrar of voters, said, “We do have our Arch Road post office that services the county, but the main hub is West Sacramento. So it’s within that 50-mile range. It shouldn’t be too far out of range, per se, and we do have service here. So we’re not considered a really rural route.”To ensure votes are counted, voters are advised to mail their ballots early or use a drop box.”Please look at the pickup time of the box. If you’re going to wait until Election Day, it is safer to take it inside to get it postmarked,” Linder said. The Postal Commission announced the regional hub changes as part of its Delivering for America plan to be financially stable over the next 10 years.”If you are going to use the postal service, make sure you put it in the day before so it can be postmarked,” a Postal Service spokesperson said. “Make sure if you walk into it the day of, you are going inside the postal service, ask them to stamp your ballot for you if they will. You also want to make sure if you want to put it in our box, our voting box, they will be counted on that day. We have more ways, more days than anybody you can imagine to vote. Nobody has an excuse not to vote in California.”California elections officials offer a searchable list of early voting and ballot drop-off locations online here. Voters will decide with Proposition 50 if the state should temporarily toss its current congressional district map drawn by the state’s independent commission and replace it with a new one that was quickly drawn by Democrats. It’s part of a larger national fight in which Republicans and Democrats are trying to gerrymander their congressional districts to determine which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives halfway through President Donald Trump’s term.The proposed maps target five California Republicans in an attempt to offset the five Republicans Texas is aiming to add.If approved, the maps would be in place for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections. State leaders have said the power to draw maps would return to the independent redistricting commission in 2031.PHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3JBbGwoImlmcmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0W3JdLmNvbnRlbnRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdD4=

STANISLAUS COUNTY, Calif. —

California voters can choose to cast ballots for the Proposition 50 special election in person at a vote center, drop-off location, or by mail.

However, those opting to mail their ballots for the Nov. 4 election should be aware of potential delays in postmarking, depending on their location. In short, if you’re planning to mail your ballot, don’t wait until Election Day.

A U.S. Postal Service policy change that took effect in April could lead to delays in postmarking for California voters who live more than 50 miles from a regional hub, including in rural areas of Sacramento, San Joaquin, and Stanislaus counties.

“In many parts of California, recent changes in the U.S. postal mail service mean your ballot may not be counted if you drop it off at a post office or a USPS mail box on election day,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said. “This is true for any community that is more than 50 miles from one of California’s six regional mail processing facilities.”

Northern California has only two Postal Service hubs, located in West Sacramento and Richmond. The others are in Santa Clarita, Los Angeles, Bell Gardens and San Diego.

Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley Weber have warned voters that the farther they live from a hub, the more likely their ballot could be delayed if sent by mail.

In Stanislaus County, for example, voters are approximately 80 miles from the nearest USPS regional hub.

Stanislaus County Registrar of Voters Donna Linder said, “They [USPS] have just brought to light that currently, because they’ll be taken from here all the way to Sacramento to be postmarked, that that could possibly delay their postmark until the next day.”

Linder emphasized that under the California Election Code, voter ballots must be postmarked by Election Day or they cannot be counted.

In San Joaquin County, the situation is slightly different.

Olivia Hale, San Joaquin County’s registrar of voters, said, “We do have our Arch Road post office that services the county, but the main hub is West Sacramento. So it’s within that 50-mile range. It shouldn’t be too far out of range, per se, and we do have service here. So we’re not considered a really rural route.”

To ensure votes are counted, voters are advised to mail their ballots early or use a drop box.

“Please look at the pickup time of the [mail] box. If you’re going to wait until Election Day, it is safer to take it inside to get it postmarked,” Linder said.

The Postal Commission announced the regional hub changes as part of its Delivering for America plan to be financially stable over the next 10 years.

“If you are going to use the postal service, make sure you put it in the day before so it can be postmarked,” a Postal Service spokesperson said. “Make sure if you walk into it the day of, you are going inside the postal service, ask them to stamp your ballot for you if they will. You also want to make sure if you want to put it in our box, our voting box, they will be counted on that day. We have more ways, more days than anybody you can imagine to vote. Nobody has an excuse not to vote in California.”

California elections officials offer a searchable list of early voting and ballot drop-off locations online here.

Voters will decide with Proposition 50 if the state should temporarily toss its current congressional district map drawn by the state’s independent commission and replace it with a new one that was quickly drawn by Democrats. It’s part of a larger national fight in which Republicans and Democrats are trying to gerrymander their congressional districts to determine which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives halfway through President Donald Trump’s term.

The proposed maps target five California Republicans in an attempt to offset the five Republicans Texas is aiming to add.

If approved, the maps would be in place for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections. State leaders have said the power to draw maps would return to the independent redistricting commission in 2031.