Registering to Vote
Who May Register to Vote
You may register to vote if you meet the following criteria:
- You are a United States citizen
- You are a resident of California
- You are at least 18 years of age (or will be by the date of the next election)
- You have not been judged by a court to be mentally incompetent to register and vote
When to Re-Register to Vote
You will need to re-register to vote when:
- You move
- You change your name
- You change your political party affiliation
Additional Assistance
For additional assistance with voter registration, please contact the Secretary of State's office at any of the following toll-free numbers:
- English: 1-800-345-VOTE
- Spanish: 1-800-232-VOTA
- Chinese: 1-800-339-2857
- Vietnamese: 1-800-339-8163
- Japanese: 1-800-339-2865
- Tagalog: 1-800-339-2957
- Korean: 1-800-575-1558
The Deadline to Register to Vote
In California, the deadline to register to vote for an election is 15 days before each local and statewide election day, so please register now so you do not miss the chance to voter in your next election! It is important that the completed voter registration form has a 15-day deadline postmark on it. Click here for more information on California's 15-day close of registration.
Check your county's election website to find out when the next election is in your area. There are two special primary elections on September 1, 2009 for vacant legislative seats (see below to find out if you live in those districts). The special general election to fill those two seats will be on November 3, 2009. Many counties will hold district elections (called 'UDEL elections') on November 3, 2009 as well.
2009-2010 California Registration Deadlines
In order to be eligible to vote in the election on: |
Your registration has to be postmarked no later than: |
September 1, 2009 -Primary, Assembly District 51* |
August 17, 2009 |
November 3, 2009 - General Elections for Assembly District 51* and Congressional District 10** and District Elections in some counties |
October 19, 2009 |
June 8, 2010 - Statewide Primary Election |
May 24, 2010 |
November 2, 2010 - Statewide General Election |
October 18, 2010 |
*Where is Assembly District 51? (Los Angeles Area)
**Where is Congressional District 10? (Northern California: parts of Contra Costa, Solano, Sacramento, and Alameda Counties)
What Assembly, State Senate and Congressional Districts do you live in? click here to find out
Acquiring and Completing a Voter Registration Form
You can acquire a voter registration form either at your local county elections office, library, or U.S. Post Office, or download the form from various websites. To complete on-line voter registration or download a registration form, go to: http://www.sos.ca.gov/nvrc/fedform/. Once you have a completed form, it must be signed and mailed directly to your county registrar of voters.
Overseas Voting:
Overseas American citizens, State Department employees, and active duty uniformed service members and their accompanying families within and outside of the United States can register to vote at the Overseas Vote Foundation web site. For more information on overseas and military absentee voting in California click here.