The Rev Dr. Rick SchlosserYour Vote Is Your Power: A California Voter’s Guide for 2026
October 13, 2026 by Rick Schlosser
California ballots are already in mailboxes, and the most powerful thing you can do this week is fill yours out and send it back. When the federal government is pushing the limits of its power over how Americans vote, casting a ballot is the one form of power that belongs equally to every one of us.
Returning your ballot early matters more than ever! And here is information on exactly where to check your registration and what to do if your ballot hasn’t arrived.
Seven reasons your vote matters right now
1. Your vote is the one lever that doesn’t require anyone’s permission.Protests, calls, donations, and organizing all matter, but a ballot is the one form of power every eligible citizen holds equally. Officials answer to voters in a way they answer to nothing else.
2. Authoritarian movements count on you staying home.Discouragement is a strategy. When people conclude that nothing they do matters, it does the work of suppression for free. Showing up is a refusal to cooperate with that.
3. Elections are where the guardrails get built or removed. Congress controls oversight, funding, and investigations. State legislatures and secretaries of state run elections. Attorneys general, judges, sheriffs, and school boards shape daily life. Your ballot reaches far beyond the top of the ticket.
4. Close races are decided by people who thought their vote wouldn’t matter. Local and state contests are regularly decided by a few hundred or a few thousand votes. Margins that small are made of ordinary people deciding whether to go.
5. Voting is also how you protect voting. Rules about access, districts, and certification are set by the people we elect. Turning out defends the system that lets everyone else’s voice count.
6. You’re not voting alone. Every person who votes is part of something larger. Bring two friends, check on a neighbor’s plan, offer a ride. Turnout is a team effort, and it’s contagious.
7. Democracy is a practice, not a prize. It is kept alive by people doing it. Every generation has had to show up for it. This is our turn.
Why returning your ballot early matters
Return your ballot as early as you can. In March, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at restricting mail-in voting, and it followed earlier attempts to assert federal control over elections. Federal courts have blocked key parts of it, including steps by the Postal Service to carry it out. The administration says it expects the order to be upheld, so the legal fight is not necessarily over.
No one can promise how every court ruling or mail delay will play out before November 3. What you control is when your ballot leaves your hands. An early ballot is a counted ballot, and it protects you against postal delays, last-minute rule changes, and lost envelopes.
- Use a drop box if you can. Official ballot drop boxes have been open since October 6, and you can drop off at any county drop box in California. Find locations and drop boxes at caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov.
- Mailing it back? Postage is prepaid. The state recommends mailing at least 7 days before Election Day, which means by Tuesday, October 27.
- Sign the envelope. Your signature on the return envelope is how your county verifies your ballot.
- Track it. Sign up for Where’s My Ballot? to get notified when your ballot is mailed, received, and counted.
- Prefer to vote in person? In-person voting is available at county voting locations through Election Day, and polls are open 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on November 3.
Check your registration and find your ballot
Check your registration: go to voterstatus.sos.ca.gov to confirm you are registered and that your mailing address is correct. Need to register or update your information? Do it online at registertovote.ca.gov.
If your ballot hasn’t arrived:
1. Confirm your address at voterstatus.sos.ca.gov. A wrong or old address is the most common reason a ballot goes missing.
2. Check Where’s My Ballot? to see whether it was mailed to you.
3. Contact your county elections office and ask for a replacement ballot. The Secretary of State’s voter hotline is (800) 345-VOTE (8683).
4. Or skip the mail entirely and vote in person at a county voting location. Find locations and drop boxes at caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov.
5. Don’t wait. Ballots were required to be mailed by October 5, so if yours is still missing, call now.
Registered late or not at all? The registration deadline is October 19, but California offers same-day registration at your county elections office or voting location through Election Day.
Key dates
| Date | What happens |
| October 5 | Ballots mailed to all registered voters; voting begins |
| October 6 | Ballot drop boxes open |
| October 19 | Regular voter registration deadline |
| October 24 | Early in-person vote centers open in Voter’s Choice Act counties |
| October 27 | Recommended last day to mail your ballot back |
| November 3 | Election Day: polls open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; last day to vote in person or drop off your ballot |
Vote early. Tell a friend. Take someone with you.
Sources
• California Secretary of State: vote early press release
• Official Voter Information Guide, back cover
• Lawfare: Trump signs executive order purporting to restrict mail-in voting
• Votebeat: Federal judge blocks Trump’s efforts to restrict mail-in voting
If you support our work to be a prophetic witness to the Gospel by educating faith communities to pursue justice, equity and fairness in the treatment of all people, in particular those most vulnerable in our society, please support us with your generous donation here on Givebutter or here on PayPal).