California/Voting

Voting in California

How to Register

First, ensure you are qualified to register to vote in California. The requirements are:

• Be a United States citizen AND a resident of California

• Be 18 years or older ON ELECTION DAY

• Cannot be currently serving a state or federal prison term for a felony
  • IMPORTANT: Once an individual is released, their right to vote is restored
  • If an individual is on parole, probation, mandatory supervision, post-release community supervision, federal supervised release, or a federal supervised release, or have a juvenile wardship adjudication they CAN still register.
  • If in a local detention facility, the individual CAN register as long as their detention is for a misdemeanor, is part of their probation, or is for the purpose of awaiting trial.

• Cannot be found to be mentally incompetent by a court to vote (this refers to conservatorships)

Under 18 years old? If you are 16 or 17, you can still pre-register to vote, which will make it so that you are automatically registered upon turning 18.

Before registering, make sure you have all the information required:

1. Your California driver license or California identification card number
2. Last four digits of your social security number
3. Your date of birth

Assuming you are qualified and have gathered all your information, you can register online at:

https://registertovote.ca.gov/

You can also use this site to request an absentee ballot (military and overseas voters). You may also register with a paper form; these can be found at government offices like your local Registrar of Voters, U.S Post Offices, Public Libraries and the DMV. When completed, this physical form must be either mailed or returned in-person (NOT emailed or faxed).

Deadlines, Voting by Mail, and Same Day Registration

You must be registered to vote 15 days prior to election day. If you wish to vote and it is either election day or the period of 14 days before, California has Same-Day Voter Registration, which can be done at county elections offices’, polling places, or voting centers. This will conditionally register you to vote and you can complete a ballot at the location, which will be counted in the election once you are verified.

As of 2021, every single active, registered California voter will receive a ballot in the mail for their statewide and local elections. It will come with an official envelope to seal it in. Once you have voted and ensured the ballot is properly marked and sealed, you have several options.

1. Mail it to your county elections official
2. Return it in person to any polling place in California, or to the office of your county elections official. You are still required to do this BEFORE the polls close at 8:00PM on Election Day.
3. Drop it off at any valid drop-off location or ballot drop box in California. Again, this must be done before 8:00PM on Election Day.
4. Authorize somebody to return the ballot for you. Anybody can do this (as long as they are not being paid per ballot they deliver), and all you must do fill out the authorization section found on the outside of your ballot envelope.

If you're curious, you can track your ballot at: https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/You can also check your voter registration information and learn more about your local elections.

2024 Deadlines

For the election on March 5th, 2024, you must be registered by February 20, 2024. Remember, you CAN still vote if you miss this deadline, but you must complete Same-Day Voter Registration at the location you will be voting.