During the Official Election Canvass, the Registrar of Voters finishes processing all Vote-By-Mail and Provisional ballots. 

We also conduct several tests and audits and account for the equipment and materials used in the election. Senate Bill 280 prohibits the Registrar of Voters from certifying Orange County’s election results before Tuesday, Dec. 2. 

In addition to processing ballots, our canvass tasks include: 

• Inspect all materials and supplies returned from 66 Vote Centers. 

• Confirm that all vDrives (also known as USB or thumb drives) from the ballot scanners assigned to our Vote Centers have been read and the votes on them added to the results, and that all ballots cast at the Vote Centers are accounted for in the tally.  

• Process test ballots through all ballot scanners used in the election to ensure they still accurately count votes on the ballots. 

• Verify that the State-certified voting system software has not been modified during the election.

• Duplicate any damaged and improperly marked ballots. 

• Inspect every opened ballot return envelope to ensure all ballots were removed and processed for counting. 

• Hand count all of the ballots from precincts randomly selected for the One Percent Manual Tally audit. 

For the latest information about daily canvass activities, visit ocvote.gov/observe.

Registrar of Voters staff members continue to process letters from voters trying to cure a signature challenge to their 2025 Statewide Special Election Vote-By-Mail ballot so that their vote on Proposition 50 can be counted. 

Every signature on a returned ballot envelope is carefully reviewed and compared to the voter’s registration signature. 

If the voter forgot to sign the ballot envelope or three Registrar of Voters staff members determine the signatures do not compare, we contact the voter via first class mail to give the voter an opportunity to cure the signature challenge. We also email or call voters who provided that contact information when registering.  

When voters return cure letters, the letters are first scanned to allow the signature on the letters to be easily compared to the voters’ registration signatures. If the signature on the letter contains similar characteristics to the voter’s registration signature, the ballot will be processed and counted. The accepted cure signature will also be uploaded to the voter’s registration file to be used for signature comparisons in future elections. 

If three Registrar of Voters staff members find a letter signature possesses multiple, significant, and obvious differing characteristics when compared to the voter’s registration signatures, that ballot will remain sealed in its envelope and will not be counted. 

In this election, 16,531 ballots have been signature challenged and 3,455 of those challenged ballots have been successfully cured by the voters through Wednesday, Nov. 19. 

Each ballot processing step is vital to help ensure that every eligible vote for the 2025 Statewide Special Election is counted accurately and securely. 

If you received a letter because you forgot to sign your ballot envelope, or the signature on your ballot envelope did not compare to any of your registration signatures on file, you can correct the issue by signing the letter mailed to you and returning it to our office by mail, in person, email, fax, or mobile device.  

• Orange County Registrar of Voters, 1300 S. Grand Ave, Bldg. C, Santa Ana, CA 92705 
• Email [email protected]
• Fax (714) 567-7556 or (714) 333-4488 

To ensure your cure letter is processed, the Registrar of Voters must receive your cure letter by 5 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 30.