It is safe — and private — to vote by mail in the special election on redistricting, California’s elections officials say after multiple, now-viral social media posts have claimed otherwise in recent days.
Mailed ballots are not designed to show or expose what the voter marked, Secretary of State Shirley Weber said, pushing back on recent claims peddled by popular social media accounts and Republican politicians.
At issue is the envelope provided for ballots to be returned either by mail or at a drop box or vote center. Counties are in charge of printing the ballots and mail voting materials (including the return envelope), and some have opted to include small punched holes on the envelope to help visually impaired voters find where they need to sign in order for their ballot to be counted.
But photos and videos posted on social media show that envelopes in some counties can show if a voter marked no on Proposition 50, depending on how a ballot is placed in the envelope. One post, which had 5.8 million views as of Tuesday afternoon, alleged it was a way for Democrats to “cheat” in the election.
“There are numerous ways to insert a ballot card into the return envelope,” the California secretary of state’s office said. “If a voter is concerned, they can insert their ballot in a manner where any markings are obscured.”
The Sacramento County Department of Voter Registration and Elections, which was the subject of one of the viral social media posts, noted the ballots are only printed on one side and encouraged concerned voters to fold their ballot so their vote is on the inside.
More on Prop. 50 election
Southern California’s guide to Prop. 50, the 2025 redistricting election Voting by mail? Voters urged to vote early in California’s special election. What is redistricting? Your questions about maps, California’s feud with Texas and more, answered Prop. 50: Your questions about how to vote in the special redistricting election answeredThe California Republican Party has responded to many of the social media posts as well — including one promoted by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas — showing how a ballot can be placed in an envelope without a vote showing. The GOP’s video encourages voters to vote against Prop. 50, the Democratic-backed measure.
Not every county utilizes those holes on their ballot materials. Orange County, for example, prints ballot materials in-house and does not punch holes in the return envelopes because they did not work well in the mail-inserting equipment it uses, according to Bob Page, the registrar of voters.
All registered California voters were mailed ballots earlier this month for the special election. Voters can choose to cast a ballot in person on Election Day (Tuesday, Nov. 4) or when vote centers open later this month, or they can return their ballot at a designated drop box or in the mail as long as they are postmarked by Nov. 4.
“Anyone who has questions about their ballot or vote-by-mail envelope should go to a trusted source such as my office, which has voter hotlines in various languages (www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting-resources/voting-california/voter-hotlines), or their county elections office (www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting-resources/county-elections-offices),” said Weber.
California voters have been asked in this special election whether to implement new, partisan congressional maps for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections. That would mean forgoing the current maps drawn by a 14-member group comprising five Republicans, five Democrats, and four commissioners not affiliated with the two major parties.
The proposal only impacts congressional races. And it’s a partisan one, an effort to favor Democrats in California’s congressional elections as a way to counter similar, Republican-led plans elsewhere in the country to boost the GOP.
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North Carolina GOP announce plans to vote on new House map amid nationwide redistricting battle Southern California’s Prop. 50 Voter Guide is here to help you cast your ballot Prop. 50: Your questions about how to vote in the special redistricting election answered Southern California’s guide to Prop. 50, the 2025 redistricting election Will your congressional district change if Prop. 50 passes? Use these maps to find outHence then, the article about do california redistricting ballot envelopes reveal your vote debunking social media rumors was published today ( ) and is available on Los Angeles Daily News ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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