California mail-in ballots are counted if they are cast on or before Election Day and arrive within seven days after Election Day.
Posted by What A Day, Checked
- Sources
- 3 support1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 85%
What A DayOct 22, 2026
California's Secretary of State and AP both state that mail ballots count if they are postmarked on or before Election Day and received within seven days after it, which matches the claim. The claim says 'cast' where the sources say 'postmarked,' a minor wording difference that does not change the rule.
This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.
What was said
… Of those i think it was 150,000 or 170,000 votes that weren't counted after, in the last election, was because they arrive after seven days after Election Day, which is the cutoff. If you cast your vote by mail ballot on or before Election Day, but it arrives less than seven days after Election Day, it's counted. But if it arrives eight days later, nine days later, ten days later, it's not counted. And the Postal Service has been slow, noticeably so, and we want your vote by mail ballot to count. …
What A Day · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. The California Secretary of State's Vote By Mail page says mailed ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received not later than 7 days after Election Day.[2]
Supports. AP reports that California's deadline for election offices to receive completed ballots is seven days after Election Day, as long as they are postmarked by then.[1]
Supports. An ABC News report quotes the California Secretary of State that ballots postmarked on or before Election Day and received within seven days after the election must still be counted.[3]
Context. The claim's 'cast' wording is a looser phrasing of the postmark requirement. The sources' rule is the same as the claim's in substance, and the post's own wording matches the claim.[2][4]
Sources
4 sources: 1 fact-checker, 1 primary, 2 not rated
- 1Trump and GOP target ballots arriving after Election Day that delay ...apnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2Vote By Mail - California Secretary of State - CA.govsos.ca.gov · primary source · cited for: supports, context
- 3Why California's election results take longer than other statesabcnews.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 4California Elections Code section 3017 (2025)california.public.law · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- Approximately 150,000 to 170,000 votes were not counted in the last California election because they arrived more than seven days after Election Day.False
- California sends 20 million ballots out in the mail for each election.True
- Two-thirds of mail-in ballots rejected in California in June were rejected because they arrived late or were postmarked after Election Day.True
- The Supreme Court ruled that states can choose to have mail-in ballots delivered after Election Day if they were voted on or before Election Day.True
- California has a December 11 deadline to certify the election results.True