Download a printer-friendly PDF
Here's what you need to know if you're voting in California in 2012:
VOTER REGISTRATION
Voter registration forms must be filled out completely and be postmarked or hand-delivered to your county elections office at least 15 days before the election.
You can obtain a voter registration form online at www.sos.ca.gov/nvrc/fedform/. You will have to print the form, sign it and mail it directly to the county elections office address that is preprinted on the form.
If you would like a voter registration form in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog or Vietnamese, visit the secretary of state's new voters Web page at www.sos.ca.gov/elections/new-voter/.
For additional assistance with voter registration, please contact the secretary of state's office at the following toll-free numbers:
English: (800) 345-8683
Chinese: (800) 339-2857
Japanese: (800) 339-2865
Korean: (866) 575-1558
Spanish: (800) 232-8682
Tagalog: (800) 339-2957
Vietnamese: (800) 339-8163
VOTER ID REQUIREMENTS
In most cases, California voters are not required to show identification before they cast a ballot.
If you are registering to vote, have a driver's license or a California identification card, you must provide the number on your voter registration form. If you do not have one of those forms of identification, provide the last four digits of your Social Security number on your voter registration form. Any person voting for the first time who registers by mail who does not provide this information will be asked to show a form of identification when he or she goes to the polls, or to provide a copy of that identification with his or her vote-by-mail ballot. There are 30 forms of identification that can be used for this purpose, including a government-issued check or a utility bill that includes the person's name and address. For a full list of acceptable forms of ID, visit www.sos.ca.gov/elections/hava.htm.
VOTING BY MAIL
Applying to Vote By Mail
Any registered voter can vote by mail in California. To vote by mail, you must request a vote-by-mail ballot from your county elections office at least seven days before Election Day to be eligible to vote by mail in that election. You can use the form on the sample ballot booklet you receive in the mail a few weeks before Election Day to apply for a vote-by-mail ballot, or send a written request to your county elections office. Your request must include your name and the address where you live, the address where you want to receive your vote-by-mail ballot, your signature, and the name and date of the election in which you want to vote by mail. You can find a list of county elections offices at www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_d.htm or by calling the secretary of state's office. Please do not send vote-by-mail requests to the secretary of state's office, because this will delay receipt of your vote-by-mail ballot.
Vote-by-mail applications also are available online at www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_m.htm#apply.
The secretary of state also provides vote-by-mail applications in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese. These forms are available at www.sos.ca.gov/elections/new-voter/.
PERMANENT VOTE-BY-MAIL VOTING
Any registered voter may become a permanent vote-by-mail voter. As a permanent vote-by-mail voter, you automatically will receive a vote-by-mail ballot for each election. To become a permanent vote-by-mail voter, you must complete a California Vote-By-Mail Ballot Application (see previous section). Your permanent vote-by-mail status will only end if you do not vote in two consecutive statewide general elections.
RETURNING YOUR VOTE-BY-MAIL BALLOT
Once your application is processed by your county elections official, your ballot will be sent to you. After you have voted, inset your ballot in the envelope provided, making sure you complete all required information on the envelope. You may return your voted vote-by-mail ballot by:
1) mailing it to your county elections official (addresses can be found at www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_d.htm
2) returning it in person to a polling place or the elections office in your county on Election Day; or
3) authorizing a relative or person living in the same household as you to return the ballot on your behalf.
Regardless of how the ballot is returned, it MUST be received by the county elections office by the time polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day. Late-arriving vote-by-mail ballots will not be counted.