California Voter Registration: Eligibility, Methods, and Deadlines

To meet California’s voter registration requirements and deadlines, you need to be a U.S. citizen, a California resident, and at least 18 years old on Election Day, and you need to submit your application at least 15 days before the election. Miss that 15-day cutoff and you can still register and vote on the same day at a county elections office or polling place through Conditional Voter Registration.¹

Who Qualifies to Register

California sets four conditions:²

You are a United States citizen.
You live in California. Your registration address decides which local races and ballot measures appear on your ballot.
You will be 18 or older on Election Day.
You are not currently serving a state or federal prison term for a felony, and a court has not found you mentally incompetent to vote.

Residency means the place where you live and intend to stay. You do not need a traditional home or lease to establish it, and college students can register at either their school address or their family’s address.³

Pre-Registration at 16 and 17

If you are 16 or 17 and otherwise eligible, you can pre-register. Your record sits in a pending status until your 18th birthday, when the county elections office automatically activates it and sends a confirmation notice.⁴ If you have moved or changed your name since pre-registering, update your information with your county elections office before your record becomes active.⁵

If You Have a Felony Record

The only criminal-record disqualification in California is active imprisonment for a felony.⁶ Parole no longer disqualifies you, after voters approved Proposition 17 in 2020.⁷ Probation, post-release community supervision, and federal supervised release also do not disqualify you. Once you are released from prison, you can register, but you have to go through the normal process. Restoration of your rights does not automatically put you back on the voter rolls.

What You Need to Fill Out the Form

Have the following ready:

Your California driver’s license or state ID number. If you register online, this is also used to pull your signature from DMV records.
The last four digits of your Social Security number if you do not have a California license or ID.
Your date of birth and full legal name.
Your California residence address.

If you have neither a California ID nor a Social Security number, you can still register, and the state will assign you a unique identifier.⁸ If you are a first-time voter who registered by mail and did not provide either number, federal law under the Help America Vote Act may require you to show identification when you vote: either a photo ID or a document with your name and address, such as a utility bill or bank statement. You can always cast a provisional ballot.⁹

Ways to Register

Automatically at the DMV

Under the California Motor Voter program, anyone who is eligible and completes a driver’s license or state ID transaction at the DMV, whether in person, online, or by mail, is automatically registered unless they opt out. The DMV sends your information to the Secretary of State, who confirms eligibility and adds you to the rolls.¹⁰ One exception: if you hold an AB 60 license (issued to undocumented residents), this program does not apply, and you are not eligible to register.

Online

The Secretary of State’s portal is at registertovote.ca.gov. You will enter your driver’s license or ID number, the last four digits of your Social Security number, and your date of birth. The system retrieves your signature from your DMV record.¹¹ Without a California ID, you can start the process online but will need to print, sign, and mail a paper form to finish.

By Mail

Paper registration forms are available at post offices, libraries, DMV offices, and county elections offices. California’s state voter registration card is pre-addressed and needs no stamp.¹² The national voter registration form requires first-class postage. Make every field match your government records; mismatches cause delays.

In Person

You can register in person at your county elections office any time. Within the two weeks before an election, in-person registration shifts to the Conditional Voter Registration process described below.

Deadlines

The standard deadline is 15 days before Election Day. Your application must be postmarked, submitted online, or hand-delivered by that date.¹

If you miss it, Conditional Voter Registration opens 14 days before the election and runs through the close of polls on Election Day. You can conditionally register and cast a provisional ballot at any county elections office, satellite office, or polling place in your county.¹³ The ballot counts once the county verifies your eligibility and confirms you have not voted elsewhere. The “conditional” label just means verification happens after you vote rather than before.

Military and Overseas Deadlines

If you are a U.S. citizen living outside the country or serving in the military, you register and request ballots using the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). This covers active-duty service members, reservists, Merchant Marines, their spouses and dependents, and any U.S. citizen living abroad who is eligible to vote in California.¹⁴ For the November 3, 2026 general election, the FPCA registration deadline is October 19, 2026. You can send the FPCA by mail, fax, or online, and if your ballot does not arrive in time, you can use the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot as a backup.¹⁵

Checking and Updating Your Registration

Check your status at voterstatus.sos.ca.gov. The tool confirms whether you are registered, shows your party preference and polling place, and tracks any vote-by-mail or provisional ballot. You will need your name, date of birth, and either your driver’s license number or the last four digits of your Social Security number.¹⁶

Re-register whenever you move, change your legal name, or want to change party preference. The easiest route is the same online portal.¹ If you move within the same county and have not updated yet, you can still vote at your old polling place or your county elections office, but updating promptly makes sure you get the right ballot for your new precinct.

If You Do Not Have a Fixed Address

You do not need a traditional home address to register. If you are experiencing homelessness, you can describe the place where you sleep or spend most of your time, such as a street intersection, a park, or a shelter, as your residence for registration. That location sets your voting precinct. Also give a mailing address where you can receive election materials, such as a shelter, a P.O. box, or a friend’s address, even if it differs from your residence description.³

If Your Address Needs to Stay Private

If disclosing your home address could put your safety at risk, California’s Safe at Home program may let you register without your address appearing in public records. It is available to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, human trafficking, and child abduction, among others. A 2025 expansion also extended eligibility to individuals connected to gender-affirming health care services.¹⁷ If you are enrolled in Safe at Home, do not use the standard online portal. Contact the Secretary of State’s office directly to register confidentially.¹¹

1
California Secretary of State. Voter Registration
2
California Secretary of State. Who Can Vote in California
3
California Secretary of State. Registering to Vote
4
California Legislative Information. California Code Elections Code 2102
5
Cornell Law Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 2 Section 19089 – Pre-Registrants
6
Justia Law. California Constitution Article II – Voting, Initiative and Referendum, and Recall – Section 4
7
Legislative Analyst’s Office. Proposition 17
8
California Secretary of State. California Voter ID and Registration Requirements
9
California Secretary of State. Help America Vote Act (HAVA) Identification Standards
10
California Secretary of State. California Motor Voter
11
California Secretary of State. Online Voter Registration
12
California Secretary of State. Chapter 7 – The National Mail Voter Registration Form
13
California Legislative Information. California Code Elections Code 2170 – Conditional Voter Registration
14
California Secretary of State. Military and Overseas Voters
15
Federal Voting Assistance Program. California
16
California Secretary of State. My Voter Status
17
California Secretary of State. Safe at Home