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Country poll opening and closing times
Early voting
Absentee/mail-in voting
All-mail voting
Voter ID laws

Select a land from the carte du jour beneath to learn more.

The policies governing voter participation are enacted and enforced primarily at the state level. These policies, which include voter identification requirements, early voting provisions, online voter registration systems, and more, dictate the conditions under which American citizens bandage their ballots in their respective states.

This article includes the following information about voting policies in California:

  • Voter registration details, including deadlines and eligibility requirements.
  • In-person voting details, including identification requirements, poll times, and early on voting provisions.
  • Absentee/mail service-in voting deadlines and rules.
  • Details about convicted felons' voting rights.
  • Contact information election agencies.
  • Summaries of noteworthy policy-related events.

See Election assistants in California for more additional information about ballot administration in the country, including voter list maintenance policies, provisional ballot rules, and post-election auditing practices.

Voter registration

The table below displays voter registration data specific to California'south 2022 primary election.

Eligibility and registration details

To vote in California, an individual must be a U.Southward. citizen and California resident. A voter must be at least 18 years of age on Election Day. Provisional voter registration is bachelor offset 14 days earlier an election through Election Solar day.[i]

On October 10, 2015, California Governor Jerry Chocolate-brown (D) signed into constabulary Assembly Bill No. 1461, likewise known equally the New Motor Voter Act. The legislation, which took effect in 2016, authorized automatic voter registration in California for any individuals who visit the Department of Motor Vehicles to learn or renew a driver'southward license.[2] [3]

In-person voting

The table below displays in-person voting information specific to California'south 2022 master election.

Poll times

Run into also: State poll opening and endmost times

All polls in California are open up from 7:00 a.one thousand. to 8:00 p.m. Pacific Fourth dimension. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[four]

Voter identification

Run into also: Voter identification laws by state

California does non require voters to nowadays photo identification. Withal, some voters may exist asked to bear witness a class of identification when voting if they are voting for the get-go time after registering to vote by mail and did non provide a driver license number, California identification number, or the last four digits of their social security number.[five] [6]

The following list of accustomed ID was current every bit of November 2019. Click hither for the California Secretary of State page, "What to Bring to Your Polling Place," to ensure you have the virtually current information.

  • Re-create of a recent utility beak
  • Sample election booklet sent from the county elections function to the voter
  • Document sent to the voter by a government agency
  • Passport
  • Commuter'south license
  • Official state identification bill of fare
  • Student identification that includes name and photograph

Early voting

See too: Early voting

California permits early on voting. Acquire more than by visiting this website.

Absentee/post-in voting

See likewise: Absentee/post-in voting

The tabular array beneath displays absentee voting data specific to California's 2022 primary election.

California provides for universal, automatic post-in voting in all elections. Local election officials automatically deliver mail-in ballots to all registered voters . State police does non preclude voters from choosing instead to bandage their ballots in person.[7]

Convicted felons' voting rights

See as well: Voting rights for convicted felons

In California, individuals convicted of a felony have their correct to vote automatically restored once they take completed prison time and parole. Individuals serving sentences in state or federal prisons cannot vote, while those in county jail every bit a condition of probation and those serving a felony jail sentence retain the right to vote equally of 2016.[8]

Voting rights for convicted felons vary from state to country. In the majority of states, convicted felons cannot vote while they are incarcerated but may regain the right to vote upon release from prison house or at some point thereafter.[9] [10]

Election agencies

Seal of the U.S. Ballot Aid Commission

See also: State election agencies

Individuals seeking additional information nearly voting provisions in California tin contact the following state and federal agencies.

California Secretary of State:

1500 11th Street, 5th Floor
Sacramento, California 95814
Telephone: 916-657-2166
Fax: 916-653-3214
http://world wide web.sos.ca.gov/

U.Due south. Election Assistance Commission

1335 E W Highway, Suite 4300
Silver Leap, Maryland 20910
Phone: 866-747-1471

Noteworthy events

2021

On September 27, 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom (D) signed AB37 into law, providing for universal, automatic mail-in voting in all future elections in California. Nether the law equally enacted, local election officials must automatically mail every registered voter a mail-in ballot. In addition, AB37 modified the mail-in ballot return deadline: ballots are considered "timely bandage" if voted on or before Election Mean solar day and, when delivered past mail, received past election officials no later than seven days subsequently Election Day (previously, the receipt deadline for ballots returned past mail was iii days after Ballot Day). The law does non preclude voters from choosing instead to cast their ballots in person.[7]

On September 2, 2021, the California Land Senate approved the final version of AB37 by a vote of 30-7. On September 3, 2021, the California Land Assembly followed adjust, voting 60-17 in favor of the bill.[7]

In response to the bill'south signing, Secretarial assistant of Country Shirley Weber (D) said, "Voters like having options for returning their ballot whether by mail, at a secure drib box, a voting center or at a traditional polling station. And the more people who participate in elections, the stronger our democracy and the more than we have balls that elections reflect the will of the people of California." Meanwhile, California GOP Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson said, "It's no secret that Democrats have and volition go on to effort to manipulate election regulations for their political advantage. Republicans will concord them accountable through our election integrity operations – including litigation, where appropriate – and by recruiting and supporting candidates who volition provide solutions to California'due south numerous challenges."[11]

Click here for the full text of the bill.

Contempo news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms California voting. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Ballotpedia'south election coverage

Click the tiles below to navigate to 2022 election coverage, or utilise the map below:
  • U.s.a. Senate Democratic Party primaries, 2022
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  • Democratic Political party Secretarial assistant of State primaries, 2022
  • Autonomous Party Attorney General primaries, 2022
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  • U.s.a. Senate Republican Party primaries, 2022
  • U.s. Firm Republican Political party primaries, 2022
  • Republican Party gubernatorial primaries, 2022
  • Republican Party Secretary of State primaries, 2022
  • Republican Party Chaser General primaries, 2022
  • State legislative Republican primaries, 2022

Meet also

  • Election administration in California

Elections in California

  • California elections, 2022
  • California elections, 2021
  • California elections, 2020
  • California elections, 2019
  • California elections, 2018

External links

  • Official state election website

Footnotes

  1. California Secretarial assistant of State, "Voter Registration," accessed October vi, 2019
  2. The Los Angeles Times, "Gov. Brown approves automatic voter registration for Californians," Oct ten, 2015
  3. The Sacramento Bee, "California voter law could register millions–for a first," Oct 20, 2015
  4. California Secretary of State, "Section 2: Polling Place Hours," accessed October 17, 2019
  5. California Secretary of State, "What to Bring to Your Polling Identify," accessed November 20, 2019
  6. BARCLAYS OFFICIAL CALIFORNIA CODE OF REGULATIONS, "Section 20107," accessed Nov 20, 2019
  7. 7.0 vii.one 7.2 California Legislative Data, "AB-37 Elections: vote by mail service ballots," accessed Oct 5, 2021
  8. Alex Padilla California Secretary of Country, "Voting Rights: Persons with a Criminal History," accessed October 16, 2019
  9. National Briefing of State Legislatures, "Felon Voting Rights," accessed July fifteen, 2014
  10. American Civil Liberties Union, "State Criminal Re-enfranchisement Laws," accessed September thirteen, 2019
  11. The Sacramento Bee, "California is at present permanently a vote-past-mail service state as Gavin Newsom signs bill," September 27, 2021