You can vote in California if you are a United States citizen, at least 18 years old by election day, a California resident, and not currently serving a state or federal prison sentence for a felony conviction. Those four requirements, set out in California Elections Code Section 2101, decide who can vote in California.1California Legislative Information. California Code Elections Code 2101 – General Provisions Meet all four and you are eligible to register and cast a ballot in every federal, state, and local contest.
The Four Core Requirements
Citizenship and age are straightforward. You must be a U.S. citizen, and you must be 18 by the date of the next election. Lawful permanent residents, visa holders, and other non-citizens cannot vote in state or federal elections regardless of how long they have lived in California.
Residency is a little more involved. Under Elections Code Section 349, your residence for voting purposes is your domicile, meaning the place where you actually live and intend to remain or return to.2California Legislative Information. California Code ELEC 349 – Residence Defined You can only have one domicile at a time. If you split your time between California and another state, or between two California addresses, the one you consider your primary home is where you register. College students can choose either their campus-area address or their family home, but not both.
Pre-Registering at 16 or 17
If you are 16 or 17, you can pre-register now even though you cannot vote yet. Pre-registration locks your information into the system so your registration activates automatically on your 18th birthday.3California Secretary of State. Online Pre-registration for 16 and 17 Year Olds You still have to be 18 by election day to actually cast a ballot. The voting age itself has not changed.
Voting With a Criminal Record
California’s rules here are broader than many people assume, and they changed significantly in 2020. What matters is where you are in the criminal justice system right now, not what is on your record.
The Only Disqualification
The sole bar is a current state or federal prison sentence for a felony. The California Constitution, as amended by Proposition 17 in 2020, limits disqualification to the period of imprisonment itself.4California Legislative Information. California Constitution Article II The day you complete your prison term, your right to vote is restored automatically. There is no application, no waiting period, and no court order required.
Who Can Still Vote
Before Proposition 17 passed with nearly 60 percent of the vote, people on state parole were also barred. That barrier is gone. If you are on parole, you can register and vote right away.5Legislative Analyst’s Office. Proposition 17
People in county jail can also vote, regardless of why they are there. A misdemeanor conviction never affects your voting rights. Even if you are in county jail on a felony charge, or serving a felony sentence under California’s realignment laws, you remain eligible, because “imprisoned” for voting purposes means serving time in a state or federal prison, not a county facility.6California Secretary of State. Voting Rights – Persons with a Prior Felony Conviction People on probation, mandatory supervision, or post-release community supervision can all vote. Eligible jail voters are entitled to receive a registration card and cast a ballot from inside the facility.
Voting Under a Conservatorship
Being placed under a conservatorship does not take away your right to vote. California law starts from a strong presumption that every person is competent to vote.7California Legislative Information. California Code Elections Code 2208 A court can disqualify a conservatee only if it finds, by clear and convincing evidence, that the person cannot communicate a desire to participate in the voting process even with reasonable accommodations.
That bar is deliberately high. Signing a registration form with a mark or stamp, or needing help from another person to complete it, is not grounds for disqualification. If a court investigator raises a concern during a periodic conservatorship review, the court holds a hearing, but the burden stays on the party arguing for disqualification, not on the voter.8California Secretary of State. Voting Rights – Persons Subject to Conservatorship
Voting Without a Fixed Address
You do not need a traditional street address to register. Californians experiencing homelessness, or living in shelters, vehicles, or transitional housing, are fully eligible to vote. On the registration form, you can describe the place you sleep using a cross street, intersection, or nearby landmark instead of a numbered address.9California Secretary of State. Voters Experiencing Homelessness Fact Sheet The description just needs to be specific enough for your county elections office to assign you to the correct precinct.
You’ll also provide a separate mailing address so election materials can reach you. That can be a shelter, a community organization (with permission), a friend or family member’s address, or general delivery at a local post office. If you are between housing situations, you can keep using your last known address until you settle somewhere new.
Who Cannot Vote in California
Three groups fall outside the eligibility rules above. Non-citizens cannot vote in state or federal elections. Anyone under 18 on election day cannot cast a ballot, though 16- and 17-year-olds can pre-register. And anyone currently serving a state or federal prison sentence for a felony is barred until that sentence ends. If none of those apply to you, and you meet the citizenship, age, and residency requirements, you qualify.