在美华人实用信息（第一期）：加州大选投票已经开始，选民这样做
11 月 3 日（星期二）是加州大选投票日。邮寄选票已经寄出，投票中心已经开放，投票其实已经开始了。本篇只讲程序：你能不能投、关键时间、怎么把票投出去、还没登记怎么办、去哪里查自己的信息。不推荐候选人，候选人信息请看官方选民指南。
一、你能不能投
加州选民须同时满足：美国公民、加州居民、投票日当天年满 18 岁；不在州或联邦监狱服刑（重罪刑期执行中）；未被法院判定为无投票行为能力。符合条件且已登记的选民，都可以投票。
二、关键时间（均为 2026 年）
- 常规登记截止：10 月 19 日（星期一），已经过了。
- 有条件登记（同日登记）：10 月 20 日至 11 月 3 日，错过常规截止的选民仍可登记并投票，办法见第四节。
- 邮寄选票：县选务官已于 10 月初陆续寄给全部在册选民，无需另外申请；选票附带已付邮资的回邮信封。
- 投票日：11 月 3 日，全州投票点开放时间为上午 7 点至晚上 8 点。
- 邮寄选票计入条件：须在 11 月 3 日当天或之前盖邮戳，并于 11 月 10 日前寄达县选务官办公室。
- 亲自交票或投票箱交票：截至 11 月 3 日晚上 8 点。
三、四步把票投出去
第一步，填好。按选票上的说明标记你的选择；选票内容因县和选区而异，以你收到的选票和县选民指南为准。
第二步，装好。把填好的选票装进县选务官寄来的选票回邮信封并封好。
第三步，签名。在回邮信封外面签名，签名须与你登记时或驾照上的签名一致，县选务官会核对签名后才计票。
第四步，交出，三种方式任选其一：
1. 邮寄：尽早寄出，州务卿建议至少提前 7 天；如果拖到投票日当天才寄，请到邮局柜台请工作人员手工盖邮戳，以免邮戳日期延误。
2. 投票箱：投入本县的官方投票箱，投票箱开放至 11 月 3 日晚上 8 点。
3. 亲自交：11 月 3 日晚上 8 点前交到投票站、投票中心或县选务官办公室；也可以到投票中心现场投票。投票点提供登记、补发选票、无障碍投票设备和语言协助。
交出后可以查选票状态：州务卿的选票追踪服务（Where's My Ballot）可通过短信、电子邮件或语音电话通知选票寄出、收到与计入的进度。
四、还没登记怎么办
常规登记截止已过，但加州有有条件登记：10 月 20 日至 11 月 3 日，符合资格的选民可以到县选务官办公室、投票中心或投票站办理有条件登记并当场投临时票；选务官核实资格、确认你没有在别处投过票后，选票计入。洛杉矶县的投票中心也受理有条件登记。
五、去哪里查自己的信息
- 查登记状态：加州州务卿选民状态查询（My Voter Status），可核对登记地址、政党偏好与语言偏好。
- 查投票点与投票箱位置：州务卿提前投票查询页，或致电州务卿选民热线。
- 看选票内容：以县选民指南和样本选票为准；州级官方选民指南有中文版，另有中文热线可索取。
- 洛杉矶县的情况：县选务官称，首批 123 个投票中心已于 10 月 24 日开放（每天上午 10 点至晚上 7 点，至 11 月 2 日），10 月 31 日起再增 523 个，全县共 646 个，投票日当天全部于上午 7 点至晚上 8 点开放；全县另有 429 个官方投票箱。县内任何投票中心都可投票，不限居住地。
六、选票上有什么
全州性职位包括州长、副州长、司法部长、州务卿、财政部长、主计长、保险局长、公共教育总监、州平税委员会委员，以及联邦众议员、州议员等；另有州级提案和地方议题与地方职位。本篇不列候选人姓名、不作比较与推荐，候选人陈述与提案说明请看州级官方选民指南与县选民指南。
本篇信息均来自加州州务卿与县选务官公开资料，如有变动以官方最新通知为准。
Practical Information for Chinese Americans in the U.S. (Issue 1): California General Election Voting Is Underway — How Voters Can Cast Their Ballots
Tuesday, November 3 is California's General Election Day. Vote-by-mail ballots have already been mailed and vote centers are already open — voting is underway. This guide covers procedure only: who can vote, key dates, how to return a ballot, what to do if you are not yet registered, and where to check your own information. It makes no candidate recommendations; for candidate information, see the Official Voter Information Guide.
1. Who can vote
A California voter must be a U.S. citizen, a California resident, and 18 years old or older on Election Day; must not currently be serving a state or federal prison term for a felony conviction; and must not have been found mentally incompetent to vote by a court. Eligible voters who are registered may vote.
2. Key dates (2026)
- Regular registration deadline: Monday, October 19 — already passed.
- Conditional voter registration (same-day registration): October 20 through November 3. Voters who missed the regular deadline can still register and vote; see Section 4.
- Vote-by-mail ballots: county elections officials began mailing them to all active registered voters in early October. No separate application is needed, and the return envelope is postage-paid.
- Election Day: November 3. Polls are open statewide from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Mailed ballots count if postmarked on or before November 3 and received by the county elections office by November 10.
- Ballots returned in person or to a drop box must be submitted by 8:00 p.m. on November 3.
3. Four steps to cast a ballot
Step 1 — Mark it. Follow the instructions on your ballot. Ballot contents vary by county and district; go by the ballot you received and your county voter guide.
Step 2 — Seal it. Place the voted ballot in the return envelope provided by your county elections office and seal it.
Step 3 — Sign it. Sign the outside of the return envelope. Your signature must match the one on your driver's license or the one you provided when registering; the county elections office compares signatures before counting the ballot.
Step 4 — Return it, by any one of three ways:
1. By mail: mail it as early as possible; the Secretary of State recommends at least 7 days before Election Day. If you mail it on Election Day, take it inside a U.S. Post Office and ask a postal employee for a hand-stamped postmark so the postmark date is not delayed.
2. By drop box: deposit it in an official ballot drop box in your county, available until 8:00 p.m. on November 3.
3. In person: deliver it by 8:00 p.m. on November 3 to a polling place, vote center, or county elections office; you may also vote in person at a vote center. Voting locations offer registration, replacement ballots, accessible voting machines, and language assistance.
After returning your ballot, you can track it through the Secretary of State's "Where's My Ballot" service, which sends updates by text message, email, or voice call as your ballot is mailed, received, and counted.
4. Not registered yet?
The regular deadline has passed, but California offers conditional voter registration from October 20 through November 3. Eligible voters may go to their county elections office, a vote center, or a polling place, register conditionally, and cast a provisional ballot on the spot; the ballot is counted after officials verify eligibility and confirm you have not voted elsewhere. Vote centers in Los Angeles County also handle conditional registration.
5. Where to check your own information
- Registration status: the Secretary of State's My Voter Status tool, which also lets you check your registered address, party preference, and language preference.
- Polling places and drop boxes: the Secretary of State's early voting lookup page, or the voter hotline.
- Ballot contents: go by your county voter guide and sample ballot. The statewide Official Voter Information Guide is available in Chinese, and a Chinese-language hotline can provide copies.
- Los Angeles County: according to the county elections office, the first 123 vote centers opened on October 24 (daily 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. through November 2); 523 more open on October 31, for a countywide total of 646, all open 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. The county also has 429 official ballot drop boxes. Voters may use any vote center in the county regardless of where they live.
6. What is on the ballot
Statewide offices include Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Controller, Insurance Commissioner, Superintendent of Public Instruction, and members of the State Board of Equalization, as well as U.S. House and state legislative seats; there are also statewide propositions and local measures and offices. This guide lists no candidate names and makes no comparisons or recommendations; candidate statements and proposition details are in the statewide Official Voter Information Guide and your county voter guide.
All information in this guide comes from public materials of the California Secretary of State and county elections officials; if anything changes, the latest official notice governs.
来源：GSM·美国（原文链接）
图片来源：图：加利福尼亚州圣华金县的官方选票投递箱，选民可将填好的邮寄选票投入箱内交回。照片：TaurusEmerald，CC BY-SA 4.0，经维基共享资源。 / An official ballot drop box in San Joaquin County, California, where voters can return their completed vote-by-mail ballots. Photo: TaurusEmerald, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
