How Do I Know My Ballot Was Counted? Here's How to Check

You don't need us to tell you that these are truly strange times right now.

As we all wait for the vote counts in a presidential election like no other, and watch President Trump falsely — and repeatedly — claim victory, you may be feeling a little helpless. Or wondering what the hell you can do right now.

One positive, actionable step you can take? Go online to confirm that your ballot was received and counted by your county election officials.

This way, you'll know that your vote and your voice was heard in California, from the presidential election to the state propositions and local measures that affect the lives of everyone in our communities.

You'll also be alerted in the case that there's an issue with your ballot, giving you time to work with your local election officials to fix any problems. It's called "curing" your ballot, so that your vote can still be counted, and there's a whole system in place to help you do that.

Use California's 'Where's My Ballot' Tool

Visit the state's "Where's My Ballot?" website and input your details. You'll then be shown the status of your ballot. Hit "Details" to expand the notes and see exactly what your ballot is up to.

In this instance, "Completed" means yes, your ballot will be counted. No further message will come confirms Kim Alexander, president of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation, so take "Completed" to mean "Counted." That's because there is no way to notify a specific voter that their ballot actually was counted, "because once their signature is verified and the ballot is checked in as 'received' it is randomized with all the other ballots, and no longer connected with or identifiable to a specific voter," says Alexander.

This screen will also show you if there's an issue with your ballot and tell you how to resolve it. This message shows up as "Rejected" which can look terrifying — it's not. The use of this word is "unfortunate," admits Alexander, since the description should really say "challenged." Your ballot is only truly rejected if you don't then take the necessary steps to fix the issue — which is almost certainly with your signature.

What If My Ballot Does Need Fixing?

The biggest reason ballots get flagged for curing, says Ryan Aralar, spokesperson for the Santa Clara registrar, is mistakes with signatures — either mismatches or forgetting to sign altogether.

So what happens if that's your ballot? Regardless of whether you've checked "Where's My Ballot?" or not, your county election official will then send you a form to the address at which you received your ballot. If your ballot problem was the signature, Aralar says all you'd then have to do is update the signature by signing that form and mailing it back to your county elections official.

And don't stress if you don't see that form instantly in your mailbox. "We have a whole month to certify the vote," says Aralar. "During this whole month if it doesn't have a signature, we'll be contacting people. By Dec. 3 we will have everything wrapped up."

If you've been panicking about having marked the wrong choice on your ballot, and correcting it by crossing it out, don't worry. This happens all the time, and Aralar reassures you that "these ballots get checked by people who are trained to figure out what it was that [the voter] wanted to do. It's not all machines."

That means you don't have to preemptively contact your county election officials to let them know. "If it's a clear mistake, we have people who are trained to figure it out. It's not necessary to contact us," Aralar says.

If you're still really worried — or your ballot is showing as "rejected" online or you're concerned you haven't received the correction form — you can call your local registrar's office and straighten it out with them on the phone. Find your county's contact details here.

All of this ballot curing talk might sound ominous — but it's a normal part of the process. Kim Alexander reminds you that the California Voter Foundation's recent report on rejected ballots found "that on average 54% of voters contacted in 2018 in the three counties we studied — Sacramento, San Mateo and Santa Clara — responded to county notifications and submitted valid signatures, resulting in over 7,000 ballots 'cured' and counted."

"So ballot curing can make a big difference particularly in the outcome of close contests," says Alexander. "And of course it matters immensely for voters to have the satisfaction of knowing their votes truly did count."