Department of Elections: Vote-by-Mail

Vote-by-Mail

Voting in person at City Hall (Early Voting)

You may vote on or before Election Day at City Hall, (Ground Floor), 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 48.

Office hours for early voting are as follows:

8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday (one weekend before Election Day)
7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Election Day

For specific dates for Early Voting, please see Important Dates & Deadlines

Applying for permanent Vote-by-Mail status:

Complete the Vote-by-Mail Application (PDF); or
Complete the form on the back cover of your Voter Information Pamphlet
- Be sure to check the box on either the Vote-By-Mail Ballot Application or the form on the back cover of the Voter Information Pamphlet that states, "Check here if you wish to become a permanent vote-by-mail voter" and sign your name where it says "Sign Here"; or
Complete theApplication for Permanent Vote-by-Mail Status (PDF)
First-class postage required if returned by U.S. mail

Return to:

Department of Elections
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 48
San Francisco, CA 94102

Applying for a Vote-by-Mail Ballot

There are four ways to apply for a vote-by-mail ballot:

Complete the online Vote-by-Mail Application; or
Complete the application provided on the back cover of your Voter Information Pamphlet; or
You may also download aVote-by-Mail Application (PDF),ï¿½which you can fill out and mail to the Department of Elections. First-class postage required if returned by U.S. mail; or
You may send us a signed note, postcard, or fax requesting an vote-by-mail ballot.

On the request, please include the following:

The election date for which you are requesting a vote-by-mail ballot
Your full name
Date of birth
Your residential address
The address where the ballot is to be sent - if different from residential address
Your daytime phone number (Optional)
The date of your request
Your signature (Your request cannot be processed without it)

Submitting Your Vote-by-Mail Application Form

Your completed and signed request may be faxed, mailed or delivered to:

Department of Elections
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 48
San Francisco, CA 94102
Fax: (415) 554-4372

You may also have someone else deliver your vote-by-mail application.

Political campaigns often request that voters mail their applications to campaign headquarters. Mailing your vote-by-mail application to a third party may delay the delivery of your vote-by-mail ballot. It is advisable that completed vote-by-mail applications be delivered directly to the Department of Elections.

Delivery of Vote-By-Mail Ballot after the Vote-by-Mail Deadline

If you become ill or disabled within seven days of an election and are unable to go to your polling place, you may request, in writing and under penalty of perjury, that a ballot be delivered to your authorized representative.

Your authorized representative may:

Receive your ballot after presenting theVote-by-Mail Ballot Pick-Up Authorization Form (PDF)ï¿½to the Department of Elections.
Return the ballot to the Department of Elections or to any polling place by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.
Please Note: If your authorized representative returns the ballot, the appropriate section located on the upper flap of the vote-by-mail return envelope must be completed.
Emergency ballots may not be mailed.
Most hospitals and nursing homes provide assistance for their patients.

Marking your Vote-by-Mail Ballot

To ensure that your ballot is counted:

Make no identifying marks on your ballot
Do not sign or initial your ballot
Sign your name on the vote-by-mail return envelope
(You must personally sign in the space provided; no one else, including persons with power of attorney, is permitted to sign for you)

Important: Please do not damage the bar code on your return envelope. It assits us in processing your ballot in a timely manner.

No postage is necessary to return your vote-by-mail envelope, if mailed within the U.S.

Deadline for Returning your Vote-by-Mail Ballot

Your ballot must arrive at the Department of Elections' City Hall office or at any San Francisco polling place by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.

Ballots that arrive in our office or at a polling place after 8:00 p.m. on Election Day will not be counted--even if a postmark on your vote-by-mail return envelope is dated before or on Election Day.

Having Someone Else Return Your Vote-by-Mail Envelope

Both you and the person returning the ballot MUST complete and sign the appropriate sections on the vote-by-mail return envelope.