Tuesday is the deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot for the June 3rd statewide election in California. From Sacramento Steve Shadley reports.
California Secretary of State Debra Bowen says county election officials are sending out mail ballots to the millions of Californians who are permanent or one time vote-by-mail voters. She says mail balloting began May 5th. Vote-by-mail ballots can be returned any time between now and Election Day. However, ballots must be received, not postmarked, by 8 p.m. on Election Day in order to be counted. On Election Day, voters may drop off their ballots at their county elections office or at any polling place in the county in which they are registered to vote. Bowen says the popularity of voting by mail has soared in recent years. Nearly 42% of the 9.1 million Californians who cast ballots in February of 2008 voted by mail.