Remote Accessible Vote-By-Mail (RAVBM)

A Remote Accessible Vote by Mail (RAVBM) system allows voters to mark their selections using their own compatible technology to vote independently and privately in the comfort of their own home. To use a RAVBM system, a voter must:

• Download the application
• Mark their selections
• Print their selections
• Sign the envelope (using the envelope provided with the vote-by-mail ballot or the voter's own envelope)
• Return the printed and signed selections either by mail or by dropping it off at a voting location. The selections cannot be returned electronically.

How to Request RAVBM

A voter can request a RAVBM when they review their information on My Voter Status or by contacting their County Elections Office by phone, mail or email or by going to their County Elections Office website for more information.

How to Use RAVBM

A voter using RAVBM:

• Downloads the application to mark their selections,
• Marks their selections for each contest using their compatible technology, on their computer or tablet,
• Prints and returns their marked selections by mail using the postage paid envelope included with their vote by mail ballot or using their own envelope which would require postage. The return envelope used in any instance, must have the voter’s signature on the outside of the envelope. The voter can also return their selections in person to a voting location, drop box, or their County Elections Office. A voter cannot submit their selections online. It must be mailed or returned in person.

The vote-by-mail envelope being mailed to all Californians, includes punched holes that will help guide visually impaired voters where the signature is needed. However, if a voter is using their own envelope, they can sign anywhere on the outside of the envelope.

The Secretary of State’s Office currently has four certified RAVBM systems:

• Five Cedars Group Alternate Format Ballot v5.2.1,
• Democracy Live Secure Select 1.2.2,
• Dominion Voting Systems Dominion ImageCast Remote 5.10A, and
• Los Angeles County Voting Solution for All People Interactive Sample Ballot 2.5.2

More Information

For more information, please visit our RAVBM FAQs (PDF) .

If you are a military or overseas voter or a voter with disabilities, contact your county elections office to learn about the conditional voter registration and voting options that are available to you.