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If you update your voter registration and address using the secretary of state's voter status page before the October 24 deadline to register online, you county will cancel the ballot that went to your old address and send you a new one.
And if it turns out your ballot was missing because your voter registration wasn't updated, don't feel bad — people move all the time and forget to update their registrations accordingly.
The California Voter Foundation's Kim Alexander confirms that updating your address at the post office doesn't in fact update your voter registration. The DMV, on the other hand, will update your voter registration details if you update your address with them.
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If you're a registered California voter, your ballot is on its way — if it hasn't already arrived. But what if you're unsure of how to fill it out according to how you want to vote? Or if you've made a mistake?
What if I just don't know my 'correct' signature I'm registered to vote with?
If you're really worried about the signature on your envelope not matching the signature you're registered to vote with, there are two good solutions.
One: If it's on or before October 24, you can reregister to vote with your current signature, to be sure that the state now has your most recent one on file. If you are reregistering after October 24, you'd need to complete the same-day voter registration process (also known as "conditional voting") and request your ballot in person at your county elections office or polling location.
In 2021, Kim Alexander, president of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation, told us there's another solution if you're worried about your signature: Go vote in person, if you're able.
That's because the signature goes only on your ballot's envelope — and if you're voting in person, there's no envelope, because that ballot then goes straight into the ballot box without needing that envelope at all.
"So if you want that satisfaction of seeing your ballot drop in the box and know that it's not going to get held up because of some signature issue, you can go and vote in person," said Alexander. (Full Story)