A week before elections, some voters may start to wonder why they haven’t received their ballot yet and become worried that they noticed it too late to request a new one, but there is still time.
For voters unaware if their current address is the right one registered with the county, start by checking the “Where’s My Ballot?” website for the status of ballot deliveries.
To check registration status, or to check if an individual is registered to vote, check out the California Secretary of State voter’s page . The deadline to register was Oct. 19, voters can conditionally register up until 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Conditionally registration can be completed through two methods: with a registered signature with the Department of Motor Vehicles, voters can register online and vote with a regular ballot at a voter center, or conditional registration can be completed at the office of the registrar of voters or any voter center. Provisional ballots must be verified before being included in the final vote count.
If a ballot status says it’s undeliverable or damaged, voters can pick up the ballot in person or request a replacement. Since mailed replacements may take over a week to arrive, requesting a replacement late risks a ballot arriving after the voting deadline.
According to the Orange County Registrar of Voter, the county has a low undeliverable rate — 1.5% for 2026 statewide primary elections — but across the country, problems with the U.S. Postal Service delivering ballots late have been affecting individuals’ ability to cast their vote.
At vote centers, voters can solve registration problems, register to vote, pick up a replacement ballot and cast their vote. Some vote centers in the county have already opened beginning Oct. 24, but others will only open Oct. 31. In Fullerton, the Fullerton Public Library voter center has already opened. The other seven locations in the city will open this Saturday.
For those who still prefer to request a replacement by mail, the deadline is seven days before the election, which is today, Oct. 27.
When asking for a replacement ballot or to re-register to vote, old or lost ballots are invalidated as a safety measure.
Cal State Fullerton has its own voter center right at the Titan Student Union. According to Aimara Freeman, the public information officer for the OCRegistrar of Voters office, it will open this Saturday.
Voters can enter off Student Union Way. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Oct. 31 through Nov. 2 and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.
“Voters can cast a ballot in person, drop off a ballot, get a replacement ballot, register and vote in one visit, resolve registration issues and receive language assistance,” Freeman said. “Registering and voting in one visit usually takes less than 20 minutes and requires an email address, a phone, a California driver’s license or state ID card and an Orange County address.”
Voting by mail and ballot drop box are the preferable methods of residents in the county, totaling up to 83.4% during the primary elections in 2024. In 2023, the county invested over $4 million in vote-by-mail ballot processing.