Eligible California military and overseas voters living outside the territorial limits of the United States or the District of Columbia may return their completed ballot by fax. You must include the required signed documents and send the packet directly to your county elections official.
- Confirm your California military or overseas voter status and fax-return eligibility.
- Include your ballot, signed return-envelope declaration and separate signed Oath of Voter.
- Use your county's current voted-ballot-return instructions and verify the fax number.
- For November 3, 2026, the fax must arrive by 8 p.m. Pacific Time that day.
- Save the transmission report and check receipt and ballot status with the county.
Official guidance checked October 20, 2026.
For the November 3, 2026, general election, your county must receive the fax by 8 p.m. Pacific Time on November 3. Prepare your ballot, signed return-envelope declaration and separate Oath of Voter before choosing a sending service.
1. Confirm that you qualify to return your ballot by fax
California's military and overseas voter rules include eligible U.S. citizens living abroad, qualifying service members, and their spouses or dependents. You must be eligible to vote in California and meet the applicable conditions. Civilian overseas voters are included; fax return is not limited to military personnel.
For the overseas return route discussed here, confirm that you are outside the territorial limits of the U.S. or D.C. Being away from your home county alone does not establish fax-return permission. California also has a narrow domestic exception for military members called to service shortly before Election Day; ask your county if your circumstances involve that exception.
California allows electronic delivery of blank ballots but does not allow completed ballots to be returned by email. Follow the California Secretary of State's military and overseas voter instructions. If you vote in another state, use our guide to faxing an absentee ballot from abroad.
2. Check the California fax deadline
The 2026 general election is on November 3. California requires faxed ballots to reach the county elections office by 8 p.m. on Election Day. County guidance, including San Mateo's overseas voting instructions, specifies Pacific Time.
This is a receipt deadline. Starting an upload or pressing Send before 8 p.m. does not establish that the county received the packet in time. Allow time for transmission, a busy line and any follow-up. Check the time difference for your current location rather than using 8 p.m. where you are.
Postal-return rules do not extend the fax deadline. For a different election, check the current date and return instructions with your county.
3. Prepare all three parts of the packet
California's fax-return instructions require:
- Your completed ballot. Include every required ballot page.
- Your signed Military or Overseas Voter Return Envelope declaration. Use the declaration supplied with your county's materials.
- Your completed and signed Oath of Voter. This is separate from the return-envelope declaration and waives your right to a confidential vote.
Use your county's oath. Some counties accept the FVAP alternative, but the Secretary of State says to check with your county before substituting it. A standard fax cover sheet cannot replace the required declaration or oath.
Follow the county's signature and packet-order instructions. Do not assume that a typed name or a fax tool's electronic-signature feature is accepted. San Mateo, for example, specifies that the ballot and oath must be faxed in the same transmission.
Before uploading, open your final files. Check that signatures, checkboxes and completed fields are visible; pages are upright; and nothing is cropped. Fillable PDF fields can disappear during conversion, so inspect the saved transmission copy using the Fax.Plus guidance on missing form fields.
4. Verify your county's ballot-return fax number
Send to the county handling your California ballot. The Secretary of State's county contact table separates application and blank-ballot delivery information from voted-ballot return.
Check the voted-ballot-return instructions on your county's current election website and your packet. A general contact fax or a number used for registration may be different. If official pages or your packet show conflicting numbers, ask the county which destination to use before sending.
Do not use the former FVAP forwarding service. California's official guidance confirms that the service has ended. Eligible faxed ballots must go directly to the county elections official.
5. Send your packet with Fax.Plus
Once your eligibility, documents and destination are confirmed, you can send through the Fax.Plus web or mobile app. You can purchase sending credit on Free without a subscription.
Free includes a one-time allowance of 10 sending pages after mobile-number verification. Abroad, verification can be affected by the requirement that your IP country match your phone number's country code. An email-verified Free account can still send with purchased credit. See the verification instructions.
If you need credit, the minimum manual top-up is $10, with no subscription required and no expiration for unused credit. That purchase amount is different from the cost of one fax. Destination and connection duration affect usage, and connected unsuccessful attempts can consume credit. Check the pay-as-you-go terms and destination rate before paying.
Free permits a maximum of 30 pages and 30 MB combined per fax. Count the declaration, oath and every other required page. Do not split the packet to fit an allowance or limit without checking the county's instructions.
- Sign in and open Send Fax.
- Enter the verified county ballot-return number, beginning with +1.
- Attach all required documents and arrange them in the county's specified order.
- Review the recipient and files, then select Send.
- Wait for the final result and save the confirmation report from Sent.
For device-specific steps, see how to fax online.
6. Check your ballot's official status
The fax confirmation report records the transmission result. It does not establish that election officials accepted your ballot or that your vote was counted.
Use the ballot-status method your county provides or contact the office through its official website. If your fax fails, is incomplete or cannot be located, keep the report and ask the county how to proceed before the deadline. Check the result before sending again.
When your complete packet and county instructions are ready, create a Fax.Plus account or sign in to send.
FAQs
What if my California ballot has not arrived?
Contact your county elections official about your request and available options. California allows eligible military and overseas voters to use the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot as a backup. The state's instructions explain the declaration and oath required for faxing that backup. If the county ballot arrives later, you may also vote and return it with the signed return envelope. If both ballots arrive by the applicable deadline, only the county-issued ballot will be counted. See the official California FAQ.
Should I also mail my original ballot after faxing it?
California encourages voters who have faxed their ballot, signed return envelope and oath to also return the voted ballot and signed envelope by mail or in person, if possible. Follow your county's instructions. Mailing originals does not extend the fax receipt deadline or make an otherwise invalid fax return valid.
What if I change my overseas mailing address after requesting my ballot?
Update your information through California's online voter registration application or a new FPCA, and contact your county about the current ballot. The state says election materials cannot be forwarded to an address different from the one listed in your application. Do not rely on ordinary mail forwarding to redirect your packet.
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