2025 CA Special Election: What to do after receiving someone else’s ballot

(FOX40.COM) — The 2025 California Special Election for Proposition 50 is just weeks away, and many have already received their ballots in the mail.

Video Above: Newsom signed redistricting proposal, congressional maps in voters hands

However, occasionally, some voters receive someone else’s ballot in the mail.

Janna Haynes, a spokesperson for the City of Sacramento, heavily encourages those who receive a ballot that is not theirs to contact the voter registration office.

“So, I think that’s the best thing for people to do is contact our voter registration office, because while we don’t necessarily need that ballot back, we do need to know if people are not receiving their ballots, and if you receive someone else’s ballot, that likely means they did not receive their ballot,” Haynes said.

Once the office is contacted, officials are able to notify voters that their ballot was sent out to the wrong address. It also allows them to determine the reason why the ballot was sent to the wrong address.

Haynes also said that officials might recommend that the caller write “return to sender” on the ballot and return it by mail so there are no unused ballots out in the open.

“While we do appreciate people doing the ‘return to sender,’ that could take you know a week or whatever the case is, and that may be a critical time for that voter to be able to get a new ballot or go to a vote center,” Haynes explained. “And so I think calling and contacting us first is the best thing to do, so that we know sooner rather than later that this has happened and can make steps to correct it.”

Meanwhile, Haynes wants voters to know that they are able to track their ballot through the BallotTrak website once they vote.

“Once people do vote their ballot and they mail it back or put it in a drop box, you can get a text message and email confirmation when our office has received it,” Haynes said. “We can’t tell you when your vote was actually counted because it’s not specific to you by the time it gets to that, but we can tell you that our office has received it, it’s been processed through our mail sorter. And that is some peace of mind for people.”

If you are in Sacramento County and you received someone else’s ballot in the mail, call 916-875-6451 or email voterinfo@saccounty.gov.

A guide on how to vote can be found on FOX40’s website.