How to ask for replacement ballots in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO – The Department of Elections provides various options to request a replacement ballot if the voter has lost or spoiled the ballot, or has not received the ballot in the mail as requested.

If a voter has lost, damaged, or made a mistake while marking the ballot, or, a voter has not received the ballot within three business days after the Department delivered the ballot to the post office, as shown in step 4 of the Vote-by-Mail Ballot Status Lookup Tool, th e voter is urged to use the tool’s “Replacement Ballot Request” feature. Voters can also contact the Department to request that a replacement ballot request form be sent to them.

Although there is no deadline to request a replacement ballot, the Department urges voters to submit requests as soon as possible to allow for timely receipt and return of their replacement ballots.

The Department will mail replacement ballots through Wednesday, November 2. After that, voters can obtain a replacement ballot at the City Hall Voting Center anytime through 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, November 8.

Voters also can replace their vote-by-mail ballots and vote at their designated polling place on Election Day, Tuesday, November 8. A voter can bring his or her complete vote-by-mail ballot packet, including the return envelope and all ballot cards, and surrender it to a poll worker. A poll worker will then issue a regular precinct ballot to the voter. If a voter does not have a vote-by-mail ballot packet to surrender, the poll worker will issue a provisional ballot. After Election Day, Department staff will review all provisional ballots received from the polls. If a voter is determined to be eligible and has not cast another ballot, the provisional ballot will be counted.

If a vote-by-mail voter goes to a polling place other than the one assigned to voters who live in his or her precinct, the voter’s name will not be printed in the Roster of Voters. In this situation, a poll worker will offer to redirect the voter to his or her assigned polling place, based on the voter’s home address. If the voter declines redirection, the poll worker will issue a provisional ballot, which might not include all of the contests for which the voter is entitled to vote.

Voters with questions about voting or returning their ballots can call the Department of Elections at (415) 554-4375, write to [email protected], or visit the Department’s office in City Hall, Room 48.