Everything you need to know about voter registration

Fill+in+the+bubbles+on+your+ballot+before+Nov.+3.+Early+voting+in+Calif.+has+officially+begun.

Chris Woodard

Fill in the bubbles on your ballot before Nov. 3. Early voting in Calif. has officially begun.

If you’re a first-time voter or have moved since the last election, you can register online or by mail before Election Day.
“You will need a California-issued driver license or California identification card number, the last four digits of your social security number and consent to the use of your DMV-stored digital signature to use California’s online voter registration system,” according to Democracy Works, a nonprofit organization.
To register to vote in California, you must be a California resident, a U.S. citizen and at least 18 years old.
Re-registration is required if you’re changed your name, moved to a new residence within the state, or if you want to change your party affiliation, according to usa.gov.
Those who are eligible to vote can register online, send in their application by mail or register in person after the Oct. 19 deadline.
Many social media platforms, such as Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat are providing its users the ability to register within their apps. Otherwise, people can go to https://registertovote.ca.gov/ to register.
Some may decide to register by mail, in which case they just fill out an application and mail it.
According to the Secretary of State’s website, “you can pick one up at your county elections office, library, Department of Motor Vehicles offices, or U.S. post office.”

For those who miss the deadline, they can still register to vote in person up until Election Day “at a county elections office, polling place, or vote center.” Their ballot will be processed once they have completed the voter registration process, according to the Secretary of State website.
Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order N-64-20, which provides each registered voter an absentee ballot prior to Election Day in addition to offering in-person voting locations, according to the California Secretary of State website.
Those who are registered to vote will receive an absentee ballot without needing to request one. Absentee ballots must be mailed or returned in person by Election Day on Nov. 3, according to the Secretary of State website.
Those who are already registered may vote early using an absentee ballot, or in-person at a polling station, according to the Secretary of State website.
Polling and drop-off locations can be found at https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/polling-place and only requires entering your address.