South Kern Sol | Kern County voters can track vote-by-mail ballots with ‘Where’s My Ballot’ tool

Kern County voters can track vote-by-mail ballots with ‘Where’s My Ballot’ tool

August 28, 2020 / Estrella Ramos

Voter Registration Information

This year’s Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Those who would like to register to vote can still do so by filling out an online application here. In California, the deadline to register to vote for any election is 15 days before Election Day.

If you would like to register using a paper voter registration application, you can pick one up at your county elections office, library, Department of Motor Vehicles offices, or U.S. post office. To request a paper voter registration application be mailed to you, please call (800) 345-VOTE(8683).

Registration forms being mailed must be postmarked or submitted electronically no later than Oct. 19, 2020.

To pre-register to vote, youth can do so here. Oneline pre-registration is available for eligible 16 and 17 year olds.

If you have any questions, contact the Secretary of State’s Elections Division at (800) 345-VOTE (8683).

Kern County is partaking in California’s a new vote-by-mail tracking system for the Nov. 3 election.

The “Where’s My Ballot” tool is being offered by the California Secretary of State’s office. The tool is a new way for voters to track and receive notiﬁcations on the status of their vote-by-mail ballot.

“Shoppers are already used to receiving updates on their online retail purchases, from shipment to delivery,” California Secretary of State Alex Padilla. “Now we can offer the same service to voters.”

The voter can check the status of their ballot, including when it was mailed, when it was received and if and when it was counted, according to the Secretary of State’s office.

This tool is especially handy as the COVID-19 pandemic is still active in our nation. Governor Gavin Newsom recently issued an Executive Order requiring that county officials send registered voters mail-in ballots before Nov. 3 as an effort to protect public health.

“Elections and the right to vote are foundational to our democracy,” Newsom said. “No Californian should be forced to risk their health in order to exercise their right to vote.”

Under the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002, every voter who casts a provisional ballot is entitled to find out from his/her county elections official if the ballot was counted and if not, the reason why it was not counted.

It should be noted that polling places will still be open, and in-person voting opportunities will remain available.

Those interested in signing up for the “Where’s My Ballot” tool can do so here: california.ballottrax.net/voter/.

All you need to do is register with your name, date of birth, and zip code. Real-time updates will be sent to you via email, text or phone call.

There are also “preferred language” options.

Ballots will begin to arrive to all registered voters by mail, starting in October. This new tool will help strengthen voter confidence.