Glossary
Vote-by-mail (VBM)
Voting a ballot that was mailed to you, then returning it by mail, drop box, vote center, or a person you designate.
Since AB 37 (2021, in force from 2022), California mails a ballot to every active registered voter for every election, automatically. Voting in person is still allowed — the mailed ballot is the default, not a requirement.
Where this term appears
- Elections Code §3017 — Vote-by-mail return procedures (current law)Law
- Since 2008, officials have had to give voters a way to confirm their mail ballot arrived.Claim
- Statewide ballot tracking — the system behind 'Where's My Ballot' — became law in 2018.Claim
- A forgotten signature became fixable instead of fatal — the first cure pathway.Claim
- AB 37 (2021) — Permanent universal vote-by-mail and E+7Law
- From 2015, mailing your ballot by Election Day was enough — it could arrive up to three…Claim