Department of Elections
City and County of San Francisco
John Arntz, Director

For Immediate Release
SAN FRANCISCO, Wednesday, October 12, 2022 – The Department of Elections has begun processing returned vote-by-mail ballots for the November 8, 2022, Consolidated General Election. The Department will process ballots daily, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or until all ballots are processed for the day.

Vote-by-mail ballot processing includes capturing an image of the signatures on returned ballot envelopes, comparing those signatures to the signature images in the voters’ registration records, opening accepted ballot envelopes, removing ballots, and scanning ballots in preparation for tabulation on Election Night.  

“For this election, as in every election, the Department will make a concerted effort to scan vote-by-mail ballot envelopes and perform signature checks on the same day the ballots are delivered by the United States Postal Service to the Department or retrieved from the official ballot drop boxes,” said Director John Arntz. “This schedule enables the Department to upload the status of each ballot to our online Voter Portal within 24 hours of receipt. Maintaining such a schedule in ballot processing allows voters to view the status of their ballots shortly after returning them to the Department.”

Any local voter can track their vote-by-mail ballot from assembly up through delivery, signature verification, and counting by navigating to the “Track My Ballot” tab at sfelections.org/voterportal, signing up to receive text (SMS), email, or voicemail updates at WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov, or by contacting the Department of Elections via telephone or email.

Members of the public are welcome to observe any part of ballot processing in-person at the Department’s office in City Hall, Room 48 or via live stream. A schedule of observation activities, including those occurring in the weeks leading up to Election Day, those on Election Day, and those that occur after Election Day as well as live stream links can be accessed at sfelections.org/observe.

For more information about the November 8 election, please contact the Department of Elections at (415) 554-4375, write to sfvote@sfgov.org, or visit the Department’s office in City Hall, Room 48.

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Department of Elections
City and County of San Francisco
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
City Hall, Room 48
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 554-4375
sfelections.org