State of California Voting Requirements & Information
Statewide Voter Information
U.S. Domestic Voters
Federal and State Elections |
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|---|---|
California State Senate District 1 Special Election held on Tue Jun 4, 2019 |
|
Type |
Deadlines |
New Voter Registration |
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Absentee Ballot Request |
|
Absentee Ballot Return |
|
In-Person Absentee Voting |
none on record |
Early Voting |
Deadline Dates Vary by Locality - Contact Local Election Office |
| District 1 covers Siskiyou, Modoc, Shasta, Lassen, Plumas, Sierra, Nevada, Placer, El Dorado, and Alpine Counties. | |
California State Senate District 33 Special Election held on Tue Jun 4, 2019 |
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|---|---|
Type |
Deadlines |
New Voter Registration |
|
Absentee Ballot Request |
|
Absentee Ballot Return |
|
In-Person Absentee Voting |
none on record |
Early Voting |
Deadline Dates Vary by Locality - Contact Local Election Office |
| District 33 covers part of Los Angeles County. | |
Local Elections |
|
|---|---|
City of San Francisco General Election held on Tue Nov 5, 2019 |
|
Type |
Deadlines |
New Voter Registration |
|
Absentee Ballot Request |
|
Absentee Ballot Return |
|
In-Person Absentee Voting |
none on record |
Early Voting |
Deadline Dates Vary by Locality - Contact Local Election Office |
Registration
You can register to vote or update your registration information:
- online
- by mail
- in person at your elections office
Election Day Voting
Polling places are open from 7am to 8pm on Election Day. Certain elections, such as stand-alone municipal elections, are conducted entirely by-mail.
Find my polling place
Early Voting
Early voting is done by mail in California. Any registered voter can go to a county elections office in person to receive a vote-by-mail ballot to vote prior to and on Election Day.
Absentee Voting
Any registered voter may request a mail ballot and vote by mail. California offers permanent vote-by-mail status for any registered voter.
You are eligible to vote in California if you:
- Are a U.S citizen
- Are a resident of California
- Are at least 18 years old by Election Day
You are NOT eligible to vote in California if:
- You have been legally declared "mentally incompetent" by a court
- You are in prison or detention or jail or penal institution
- You are on parole for a felony conviction or convicted of a felony
You may preregister to vote in California
- at the age 16
Voter Registration
To register to vote in California you should provide:
- The Last Four Digits of your Social Security Number
- Your California Driver's License or State/non-driver ID Number
If you do not have these IDs, you may provide:
- The Last Four Digits of your Social Security Number
If you are registering to vote for the first time by mail, you will need to provide a copy of a valid ID. Acceptable forms of ID include:
- Valid Photo ID
- Utility Bill, Bank Statement, Government Check, or Paycheck that Shows your current name and address
- Government Issued Document that shows your current name and address
You can alternatively show one of these documents when you vote to complete your registration.
Voting In-Person
If you registered to vote in California, you may be required to present valid ID if you are voting for the first time or your registration is incomplete. You can use any ID from this list:
- Valid US Passport
- Insurance Plan ID Card
- Public Housing ID Card
- Health Club ID Card
- Valid Employee ID
- Valid California Driver's License
- Valid Student ID
- Out of State Driver's License or Non-driver ID
- Valid Military ID
- Debit or Credit Card
- Valid California Issued ID
If you don't have any of these ID's, please look at the list of alternative ID's in California.
If you do not have an ID from the above list, in California additional, acceptable forms of ID include:
- Certificate of Vehicle Ownership
- Discharge Certificates, Pardons or other Similar Documents Issued to you by a Government Agency
- Paycheck
- Lease or rental statement or agreement Issued by a Government Agency
- University Housing Bill
- Valid Student ID Issued by a Government Agency
- Public Housing ID Card
- Government Check
- Sample Ballot mailed to you
- Voter notification or confirmation card
- Current Utility Bill
- ID Issued by a Government Disability Agency
- Insurance Plan or Discount Drug Plan Card Issued by a Government Agency
- Property Tax Statement
- A Government Issued Document that shows your Current Name and Address
- Bank Statement
- Other Official Elections Document
- Valid California Vehicle Registration
- University Tuition Bill Issued by a Government Agency
- Public Transportation Authority Senior Discounted Fare ID Card
- Identification Documents Issued by Government Homeless Shelters or Other Facilities
Your ID documents must show your Current Name and Address and be no older than the Date of the last Election.
Domestic Voter |
In-Person | Fax | Online | ||
Voter Registration |
- | - | |||
Absentee Ballot Request |
- | - | - | ||
Voted-Absentee Ballot Return |
- | - | - | ||
Blank Ballot To Voter |
- | - | - |
Am I Registered? |
http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/registration-status/ |
Where is my Ballot? |
http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballot-status/ |
Where is my Polling Place? |
http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/polling-place/ |
Can I Register to Vote Online? |
http://registertovote.ca.gov/ |
State Elections Website |
http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ |
Can I View my Sample Ballot? |
http://calvoter.org/voter/elections/ |
State Voter Registration FAQ |
https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/frequently-asked-questions/ |
Where is my Ballot Drop Box? |
https://caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov/ |
Overseas / Military Voter Information |
https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/military-overseas-voters/ |
Where are my Early Voting Locations? |
https://caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov/ |
Overseas & Military Voters
Federal and State Elections |
||
|---|---|---|
California State Senate District 1 Special Election held on Tue Jun 4, 2019 |
||
Type |
Deadlines |
|
| Overseas | Military | |
Absentee Voter Registration |
|
|
Ballot Request for Registered Voter |
|
|
Ballot Return |
|
|
| District 1 covers Siskiyou, Modoc, Shasta, Lassen, Plumas, Sierra, Nevada, Placer, El Dorado, and Alpine Counties. | ||
California State Senate District 33 Special Election held on Tue Jun 4, 2019 |
||
|---|---|---|
Type |
Deadlines |
|
| Overseas | Military | |
Absentee Voter Registration |
|
|
Ballot Request for Registered Voter |
|
|
Ballot Return |
|
|
| District 33 covers part of Los Angeles County. | ||
Local Elections |
||
|---|---|---|
City of San Francisco General Election held on Tue Nov 5, 2019 |
||
Type |
Deadlines |
|
| Overseas | Military | |
Absentee Voter Registration |
|
|
Ballot Request for Registered Voter |
|
|
Ballot Return |
|
|
Overseas Voters
U.S. citizens living abroad have the right to vote as absentee voters, provided they are eligible to vote in their state. If you are living outside of the U.S. permanently, indefinitely, or temporarily, your voting rights stay with you, even if you never voted when you lived in the U.S. To vote from overseas:
- Complete and send an overseas voter registration/ballot request form to your election office in the U.S. This is one specific form that will register you as an overseas voter and request your absentee ballot – simultaneously.
Many states allow children who were born overseas, but never lived in the U.S., to use their U.S. parents’ last residence address to register.
Military Voters
Service members and their eligible family members living outside their voting jurisdiction (within or outside the U.S.) are able to vote as absentee voters.
- If you are a service member, or an eligible family member, there is a single form to file for both voter registration and ballot request. It is often called the “Federal Post Card Application” or the FPCA form. This form must be re-filed with your election office each time you change location.
To vote as a service member or eligible family member:
- Complete and send a voter registration/ballot request form “FPCA” to your election office in the U.S. It is the same form in all states.
Voting Military
Service members and their dependents may register and request a ballot using the federal voter registration/ballot request form ("FPCA"). You will have the following identification options when completing the form:
- U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
- Option to Indicate that you do not have the Requested ID
- Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number
Voting Overseas
U.S. citizens living overseas may register and request a ballot using the overseas voter registration/ballot request form. You will have the following identification options when completing the form:
- U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
- Option to Indicate that you do not have the Requested ID
- Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number
Overseas Voter |
In-Person | Fax | Online | ||
Voter Registration |
- | - | |||
Absentee Ballot Request |
- | ||||
Voted-Absentee Ballot Return |
- | - | - | ||
Blank Ballot To Voter |
- | ||||
| Your faxed ballot must include a signed oath waiving your right to cast the ballot secretly. Some California counties will allow you to download an online ballot. Once you register as a special absentee voter, you will continue to receive a ballot and election materials from your county elections official before each statewide election. However, you will need to re-register to vote if you change your address, your name or your political party preference, or if you do not participate in four consecutive general elections See http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/mov/mov-other-useful-info-resources.htm for more information | |||||
Military Voter |
In-Person | Fax | Online | ||
Voter Registration |
- | - | |||
Absentee Ballot Request |
- | ||||
Voted-Absentee Ballot Return |
- | - | - | ||
Blank Ballot To Voter |
- | ||||
| Your faxed ballot must include a signed oath waiving your right to cast the ballot secretly. Some California counties will allow you to download an online ballot. Once you register as a special absentee voter, you will continue to receive a ballot and election materials from your county elections official before each statewide election. However, you will need to re-register to vote if you change your address, your name or your political party preference, or if you do not participate in four consecutive general elections See http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/mov/mov-other-useful-info-resources.htm for more information | |||||
Am I Registered? |
http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/registration-status/ |
Where is my Ballot? |
http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballot-status/ |
Where is my Polling Place? |
http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/polling-place/ |
Can I Register to Vote Online? |
http://registertovote.ca.gov/ |
State Elections Website |
http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ |
Can I View my Sample Ballot? |
http://calvoter.org/voter/elections/ |
State Voter Registration FAQ |
https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/frequently-asked-questions/ |
Where is my Ballot Drop Box? |
https://caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov/ |
Overseas / Military Voter Information |
https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/military-overseas-voters/ |
Where are my Early Voting Locations? |
https://caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov/ |