Get help. Document what happened. Report through the right channel.
If a voter needs help right now, start with 866-OUR-VOTE or the election official at the voting location. This page can help you identify the problem, organize your own notes, and reach the appropriate official reporting channel. The incident-note builder does not submit anything to 805 EPIC.
805 EPIC does not receive reports through this page. The note builder works only in your browser and does not send or store your information.
What do you need to do?
These are three different actions. Choose the one that matches what is happening now.
A voter is having trouble voting now
Use the nonpartisan Election Protection Hotline and speak with the election official or supervisor at the voting location.
I need to make a clear incident note
Use the private browser-only note builder to organize time, place, what you observed, and who you contacted. Nothing is submitted by the builder.
I want to file with an election authority
Use the California Secretary of State Election Voter Complaint Form or the appropriate county elections office for the issue.
Current election guidance
Report a Problem stays connected to the Election Center so the page reflects the current phase without maintaining a second election timeline.
What kind of problem are you seeing?
Choose the closest situation. The page will show a practical response and the appropriate reporting path.
Help the voter preserve the opportunity to vote.
A registration, ballot, language, disability, or polling-place problem may have an immediate solution. Start with the election official at the location and call the nonpartisan hotline if the issue is not resolved.
- Stay calm and ask the poll worker or supervising election official to explain the available voting option.
- If the voter's name is not on the list, ask about a provisional ballot and verify the correct polling location.
- Request language or accessibility assistance when needed.
- Call or text 866-OUR-VOTE before leaving if the voter is still unable to vote.
Do not argue with or interfere with poll workers. Focus on preserving the voter's access and obtaining help.
Capture facts, not conclusions.
Clear, neutral details help hotline volunteers and election officials understand what happened. Record only what you can safely and lawfully observe.
Do not photograph a marked ballot, enter restricted areas, confront people, or interfere with voting operations.
Note the date, approximate time, polling place, drop box, office, website, or platform.
Describe the words, actions, signs, messages, equipment issue, or barrier in neutral language.
Record names, roles, badges, organizations, vehicles, or account names only when safe.
Note whether voting was delayed or prevented and what election officials did in response.
Send the issue to the right authority.
805 EPIC can help voters find assistance and organize information, but official complaints and election-administration questions belong with election authorities.
Secretary of State
Use the Election Voter Complaint Form for election-related complaints submitted to the California Secretary of State Elections Division.
Open Complaint FormCounty Elections
Use the official county election site for local voting procedures, locations, election administration, and county-specific assistance.
Open County ElectionsElections Division
Use the Ventura County Elections Division for county-specific voting and election-administration questions.
Open County ElectionsClerk-Recorder Elections
Use the SLO County Elections and Voting portal for county-specific voting and election-administration information.
Open County ElectionsOrganize the details before you call or report.
Nothing entered here is submitted to 805 EPIC, sent to an election office, or stored by this page. This is a private browser tool for organizing your own notes before you call, copy, download, print, or file through an official channel.
Incident details
Use factual language. Leave any field blank if it does not apply.
Your prepared note
Review it for accuracy before sharing it with a hotline or official agency.
Your organized incident note will appear here. This is not a submitted report or complaint.
Choose the county where the problem happened.
For ballot, polling-place, drop-box, registration, equipment, or other local administration issues, use the elections office for the county involved.
Santa Barbara County Elections
Official help with voter records, ballots, polling places, drop boxes, access, equipment, and local election administration.
Use the channel that matches the problem.
The nonpartisan hotline can help with an active voting problem. County election officials handle local administration. The California Secretary of State accepts election voter complaints.
Election Protection
866-OUR-VOTECall or text for voting questions, barriers, intimidation, access concerns, or help identifying the right next step.
Your County Elections Office
Tri-County contactsUse the county selector for voter records, ballots, polling places, drop boxes, equipment, access, and local election administration.
California Secretary of State
800-345-VOTEUse the official state voter complaint form or hotline for suspected election fraud, misconduct, or denial of voting rights.
Protect voters without escalating the situation.
Do not confront people, block access, touch election materials, enter restricted areas, or interfere with poll workers. If anyone is in immediate danger, call 911. For voting assistance, call or text 866-OUR-VOTE.