A Voter’s Guide for California

Published September 15, 2020

Registration, Voting Options, and More

In order to vote, you need to register to vote! The last day to register online or by mail to be able to vote in this year’s election is October 19th. However, you can still register two weeks before the election at your County Clerk’s office or there is Same Day Voter Registration in California that is available at county election offices. All Californians should be familiar with their right to vote. If you are not sure if you are registered, you can check Secretary of State  website. If you need to register for the first time, have changed your name or have changed your address, you can also register at the Secretary of State website or go to the National Mail Voter Registration Form, which can be used by U.S. citizens to vote, update registration information due to a change of name, make a change of address or to register with a political partyIf you would rather fill out an application, you can go to the DMVpost office, or most public libraries websitesThe Beach Vote has several informative links to assist you with registration.  

After you are registered, there are multiple options to choose from to vote in the presidential election.  

The first one is to vote by mail. This can be achieved by filing out an application and mail it in by October 27th to receive your mail in ballot, but this year everyone who is registered to vote will receive an absentee ballot – you can even track your ballot. After filling out your mail in ballot, you can mail it to your county elections official, return it in person to a polling place or the office of your county elections official or drop it into one of your county’s ballot drop boxes 

The second option is to vote early (in some counties). You can search to see if your county is eligible. For example, Los Angeles County will have 11 consecutive days to vote beginning Saturday, October 24 at select voting centers. All Vote Centers in the county will be available beginning Friday, October 30. Vote Centers will be open every day from 10 AM to 7 PM during the early voting period.  

The third option is voting on Election day. On November 3rd Vote Centers will be open from 7 AM to 8 PM. You can find your closest polling location While you are not required to bring anything with you to vote, if it is your first time it’s recommended to bring a valid form of identification (Driver License, State Identification, Passport, Student Identification or similar identification). 

Lastly, voter education is extremely important as we approach election season. To learn more about the California propositions this year and to research the 2020 candidates. Voter’s Edge is a great comprehensive resource to build your own voter guide that you can use on Election day. To learn more about voting in California, please attend ASI’s National Voter Registration Day Event on Tuesday, September 22nd from 6-7 PM. The LA County Registrar Office will be there to answer any unique questions you may have about the voting process or about becoming a poll worker this year. 

Official Voter Guide, California General Election