How to Register to Vote in California

There is nothing more exciting than being able to take part of the democratic voting process. The state of California has specific requirements for citizens of the state. Contacting the local election office for the county that you are a part of will help to provide more in depth information and guidelines.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Must meet the requested requirements to vote. To register, must be age 18 on or before the day of election, be a resident of California, not be a convicted felon or be in prison.

2. Fill out the voter registration forms and send them to the County Elections Official. The forms may be obtained online through the State government website. Also at the post offices, DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles), local public libraries, city halls, city courts, and senior community centers.

3. Provide the pertinent information needed such as full name, residential address, mailing address, date of birth, political party selection, name of the state or country you were born, language preference, Driver's License, or Identification card, and/or Social Security card. Lastly, provide your signature and date of when you signed the form.

4. Retain the stub from the application form that you filled out. This number will match with the number on the bottom part of the application. This will show that you have registered to vote.

5. Review over the voter identification card to ensure that it is correct and then send it to the County Recorder office as soon as possible.

6. Keep in mind that voter registration is permanent as long as you remain at the same residential address, you will continue to remain eligible to vote and will not have to register again.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have a change of address, change of name, or political party affiliation then you will need to re-register to vote again.
• You may be able to vote if you do not have a driver's license, or social security number but you must be able to identify yourself.
• There is a deadline to register to vote within 15 days before the election date.

Resources

• Voter Registration and Other Information

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on 10/17/2008 Great article! Thanks for covering this very important topic. So many people don't vote simply because they aren't familiar enough with the process to know how. Your article addresses this wonderfully. 5*