How to Vote
Step 1: Register to vote by Oct.21, by going to vote.gov/register and selecting your residing state. You will be prompted to fill out your address, party affiliation and ballot-related questions.
Step 2: Once you receive your ballot (about a few weeks before the election), fill it out.
Step 3: Now choose whether you would like to mail it (must be postmarked 7 days before Election day), deliver it in person, use a drop box or have someone turn in your ballot for you.
All polls close Nov.5 at 8pm.
Other Deadlines
Mailing of Ballots: All registered voters will automatically receive a vote-by-mail ballot starting October 7, 2024. Ballots can be returned via mail, drop-off locations, or directly at your county elections office.
Ballot Drop-Off: Official ballot drop-off locations will open on October 8, 2024.
Voter Registration Deadline: The last day to register to vote is October 21, 2024. If you miss this deadline, you can still use same-day voter registration (also known as conditional voter registration) at vote centers.
Early In-Person Voting: Vote centers will be open for early voting starting October 26, 2024, in counties that participate in the Voter’s Choice Act.
Vote-by-Mail Deadline: If you’re mailing your vote-by-mail ballot, it must be postmarked by November 5, 2024, and received by election officials by November 12, 2024.
Vote by mail
Mail it: Send your vote-by-mail ballot to your county elections office. It must be postmarked by Election Day and received within 7 days.
Deliver in person: Drop off your ballot at any polling place or county office before 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.
Drop box: Use an official ballot drop-off location or box by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.
Have someone return it: You can authorize someone to return your ballot, but make sure to fill out the authorization section on the envelope.
Key Ballot Terms Explained
What’s a Ballot?
The ballot is the list of candidates, propositions, measures, and other items that you vote on in an election.
What’s a Proposition?
A proposition is a law change or new law you vote on. Propositions can be brought by lawmakers or citizens.
Primarily at STATE or LOCAL levels. Propositions let voters directly decide on issues like taxes, regulations, or public services.
What’s a Referendum?
A referendum lets voters approve or reject a law passed by lawmakers.
Common at STATE and LOCAL levels. It’s your way to keep or overturn laws passed by the government.
What’s a Measure?
A measure is a specific proposal on the ballot, usually about local government actions, taxes, or bonds.
Most common at the LOCAL level. You vote on things like school funding, city infrastructure, or public safety.
What’s an Initiative?
An initiative allows citizens to propose new laws or changes on a STATE or LOCAL level. It gets on the ballot if enough signatures are collected.
Initiatives can include legal reforms or budget controls.
What’s an Amendment?
An amendment changes or adds to the constitution or a law. It can happen at the NATIONAL (U.S. Constitution) or STATE (State Constitutions).
They can impact everything from individual rights to government structure.
Voting Systems explained
Ranked Choice
Voters rank candidates in order of preference rather than voting for just one.
How it Works: If no candidate gets a majority of first-choice votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. Votes for that candidate are redistributed to the next preferred candidates until one receives a majority.
Instant Runoff
A form of ranked choice voting used in single-winner elections
How it Works: Similar to RCV, voters rank candidates, and if no one gets a majority, the candidate with the least votes is eliminated, redistributing their votes. This process repeats until a candidate wins with a majority
Majority Vote
A voting method where the candidate receiving more than half (50% + 1) of the votes wins.
How it Works: In elections with multiple candidates, if no candidate achieves a majority, the election may be decided by runoff or alternative methods.
Who can register to vote?
To register to vote in California, you must be:
- A United States citizen and a resident of California
- 18 years old or older on Election Day
- Not currently serving a state or federal prison term for the conviction of a felony
- Not currently found mentally incompetent to vote by a court
How do I register to vote?
To register to vote you must complete a voter registration application on paper or online at RegisterToVote.ca.gov.
When you register online, the system will search the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) database for your California driver license or identification card number, date of birth, and last four digits of your social security number.
If your information is found and you authorize elections officials’ use of your DMV signature, an electronic image of your DMV signature will be added to your voter registration application after you click “submit” at the end of the online application.
If there is no signature on file with DMV, all of your information will be transmitted to your county elections office; you will just need to click “print,” sign the paper application, and mail it.
Your county elections official will contact you when your voter registration application is approved or if more information is needed to confirm your eligibility.
Where can I register to vote?
You may submit your voter registration application online at RegisterToVote.ca.gov.
You can also pick up a paper application at your county elections office, any Department of Motor Vehicles field office, and many post offices, public libraries, and government offices.
To have an application mailed to you, call your county elections office or the Secretary of State’s toll-free Voter Hotline at (800) 345-VOTE (8683).
What is conditional voter registration?
If you did not register to vote by the 15-day voter registration deadline, in most elections, you may conditionally register to vote and cast a provisional ballot by visiting your county elections office, a vote center, or a designated satellite location during the period of 14 days prior to, and including, Election Day.
Once your county elections official processes your affidavit of registration, determines your eligibility to register, and validates your information, your registration becomes permanent and your provisional ballot will be counted.
For more information, please refer to Same Day Voter Registration.
Who can pre-register to vote?
To pre-register to vote in California, you must:
- Be 16 or 17 years old, and
- Meet all of the other requirements to vote.
Am I automatically registered to vote when I submit the online application?
No. The online voter registration application is an easy avenue for submitting your information, but the information you provide in your online application still must be verified by your county elections official.
If you have a California driver license or identification card and submit an online voter registration application, the Department of Motor Vehicles is simply sharing a copy of your signature on file so that it can be transferred to your voter registration record.
No matter how you turn in your registration application – online or paper – when it comes to determining a person’s eligibility to vote, preventing duplicate registrations, and adding a person to California’s official voter rolls, all the same safeguards are in place.
Your county elections official will contact you when your voter registration application is approved or if more information is needed to confirm your eligibility.
Am I already registered to vote?
To find out if you are currently registered to vote, please refer to My Voter Status.
I did not vote in the last election. Do I need to re-register to vote?
In general, you do not need to re-register because you are registered to vote for as long as you remain at the same address. However, there are cases in which voter registration can be cancelled if a voter has not voted in several consecutive general elections.
What should I do if I have just moved within California?
Your voter registration record should always reflect your current residence. If your move is permanent, you can update your California residence address by re-registering online or by submitting a paper voter registration application.
You can also send a signed letter to your current county elections official, informing them of your move and providing them with your date of birth and current address, even if it is in a different county. However, if you have already updated your residence address at the Department of Motor Vehicles or the U.S. Postal Service, your registration will be automatically updated with your new address.
What is the deadline to register to vote?
The deadline to register to vote is 15 days prior to Election Day, often called E-15. You must submit the voter registration application by midnight on the registration deadline day. A timestamp will be attached to your online voter registration application. If you register to vote using a paper application, it must be postmarked or hand-delivered to your county elections office by E-15. After the registration deadline, in most elections any individual may conditionally register to vote and cast a provisional ballot by visiting their county elections official. For more information, please refer to Same Day Voter Registration.
I missed the deadline to register to vote. Is there any way I can still vote in this election?
In most elections, during the period of 14 days prior to Election Day and including Election Day, an individual can go to the office of their county elections official to conditionally register to vote and vote a provisional ballot. For more information, please refer to Same Day Voter Registration.
I registered to vote a while ago but I never got a postcard confirmation from my county elections official. Am I registered?
You may check the status of your voter registration by visiting My Voter Status or by contacting your county elections official.
What voter registration applications are approved for use in California?
There are two acceptable voter registration applications that can be accessed online: the California Secretary of State’s RegisterToVote.ca.gov and the National Mail Voter Registration Application. Some organizations host websites that encourage voter registration. Some of these websites collect data from people before redirecting them to RegisterToVote.ca.gov or the National Mail Voter Registration Application (this cannot be submitted online; you must print, sign, and mail it to your county elections office).
How can I vote a vote-by-mail ballot?
County elections officials mail vote-by-mail ballots to all active registered voters.
Apply for a second ballot
If you failed to receive your vote-by-mail ballot or you have lost or destroyed your original ballot, contact your county elections official in order to be sent a second vote-by-mail ballot.
When is the last day to return my voted vote-by-mail ballot?
Vote-by-mail ballots that are personally delivered must be delivered no later than the close of polls at 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. Vote-by-mail ballots that are mailed must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by your county elections office no later than 7 days after Election Day. If you are not sure your vote-by-mail ballot will arrive in time if mailed, take it to your county elections office on or before Election Day or to any polling place in your county between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.
How do I turn in my vote-by-mail ballot on Election Day?
You may return it in person to any polling place in your county or to your county elections office on Election Day. If you are unable to return the ballot yourself, you may designate any person to return the ballot to the elections official or the precinct board at any polling place within the jurisdiction. The ballot must be received by the elections official or the precinct board before the close of the polls at 8:00 p.m. on Election Day in order to be counted.
What is the Voter’s Choice Act?
The California Voter’s Choice Act is a new law passed in 2016 that modernizes elections in California by allowing counties to conduct elections under a new model which provides greater flexibility and convenience for voters.
This election model allows voters to choose how, when, and where to cast their ballot by:
- Mailing every voter a ballot
- Expanding in-person early voting
- Allowing voters to cast a ballot at any vote center within their county
Where is my polling place?
Your polling place will be printed on the county voter information guide you receive from your county elections official prior to an election. You may also contact your local county elections office for polling place information. If you live in a county that is conducting elections under the California Voter’s Choice Act, please visit that web page for more information.
Do I get paid time-off to vote?
California Elections Code section 14001 requires employers to post a notice about paid leave for voting in statewide elections. Employers must display this notice at least 10 days before the election, either in the workplace or where employees enter and exit. Employees can only take paid time off to vote if they do not have enough time outside of work hours. The law ensures workers who cannot vote due to their job can take time off to do so.
- Employees can be given as much time as they need in order to vote, but only a maximum of two hours is paid.
- Employers may require employees to give advance notice that they will need additional time off for voting.
- Employers may require time off to be taken only at the beginning or end of the employee’s shift.
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