Unofficial ballot drop boxes are prohibited - third party ballot collections are allowed, but a voter must designate someone to return their ballot on their behalf.
SANTA ANA – October 12, 2020 – There have been recent reports of groups promoting unofficial ballot drop boxes that are not affiliated with Orange County, CA Elections. In some instances, they are promoting these ballot drop boxes as “official” or “secure.” The use of unauthorized, non-official ballot drop boxes is prohibited by state law.
Voters who want to return their ballot at a drop box should only use official county drop boxes. Official ballot drop boxes are clearly recognizable, designed to meet state standards for security, and bear the official Orange County Elections logo and Orange County seal.
Quote by Registrar of Voters Neal Kelley:
“One of my important roles as the chief election official for Orange County is to provide options for voters – in fact tens of thousands of voters have utilized our official ballot drop boxes in recent days.” He continued, “It's important for groups, or individuals, to understand that attempting to post or install unofficial ballot drop boxes is in violation of state law. Voters can contact my office at 714-567-7600 to report any concerns.”
Locations of Orange County’s official ballot drop boxes can be found at ocvote.com/options.
Tips for Voters:
- Make a plan to vote. You can return your official ballot by bringing it to any official drop box, Vote Center voting location (beginning October 30, 2020), or by using the prepaid postage return envelope.
- Voters can also choose someone to return their ballot. Only choose someone you trust to return your ballot. You and the other person must sign the back of the return envelope. Never give your ballot to someone else unless you have completed, signed, and sealed the return envelope.
- Sign up for ballot tracking. You can sign-up at ocvote.com/track to get automatic notifications by text message (SMS), or email about the status of your official ballot. You’ll be notified once our office has received your ballot, once it has been counted, and if there are any issues with the ballot.
- Receive trusted official election information from our “Trusted Election Official Information” web pages.
To view an image of an official Orange County ballot drop box click here.