INFORMATION ON VOTING AND  VOTER REGISTRATION

Who May Register to Vote
How to Register to Vote
When to Re-register to Vote
Deadline to Register to Vote
Additional Assistance
How do I Vote
Vote by Absentee Ballot
County Registrar’s Offices
Easy Voter Guide

• You may register to vote if you meet the following criteria:
  
• You are a United States citizen
• You are a resident of California
• You are at least 18 years of age (or will be by the date of the next election)
  
• You are not in prison or on parole for conviction of a felony
  
• You have not been judged by a court to be mentally incompetent to register and vote

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To register to vote you must obtain and complete a voter registration form.

Voter registration forms for Los Angeles County are available in English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese at our CAUSE office. We also have Vietnamese voter registration forms for all counties.  In addition, you may also obtain voter registration forms at county buildings, city halls, fire stations, libraries, State Motor Vehicle Offices (DMV), Public Assistance Offices (DPSS, WIC), and post offices. The Secretary of State also has an online voter registration form at the Secretary of State's website (Please note that if you fill in an online voter registration form, the Secretary of State’s office will then send you a typed registration form for your final signature.  You will have to sign it and mail it to your county election official to be officially registered. For security purposes, full on-line voter registration is not yet available.)

You may also call the Secretary of State’s toll-free voter registration hotline at 1-800-345-VOTE and requesting a form.

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You will need to re-register to vote when:

• You move
  
• You change your name
  
• You change your political party affiliation

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In California, the deadline to register to vote for an election is 15 days before each local and statewide election day, so please register early! Your completed voter registration form must have a 15-day deadline postmark on it.

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For additional assistance with voter registration, please contact the Secretary of State's office at any of the following toll-free numbers:

• English: 1-800-345-VOTE
  
• Spanish: 1-800-232-VOTA
  
• Chinese: 1-800-339-2857
  
• Vietnamese: 1-800-339-8163
  
• Japanese: 1-800-339-2865
  
• Tagalog: 1-800-339-2957
  
• Korean: 1-866-575-1558

Or you may access them on the web at http://www.ss.ca.gov/

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You may vote in several ways:

1. At your polling place on Election Day.  You may find out your polling place on the back cover of the Sample Ballot the Registrar-Recorder will have sent you prior to Election Day. You may bring your sample ballot with you into the voting booth for reference. Polling sites are open from 7:00am to 8:00pm and have poll workers who can assist you with questions you may have. If you have not received your sample ballot or need to find your polling place, you can contact your county election office
   
   
2. At the County Election Office prior to Election Day. Depending on where you live, your county may offer early voting at any number of sites determined by the County Election Office.  Please check with you county election office. 
   
3. At home by mail/absentee ballot. See below.

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Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot. Rather than go to the polls to cast a ballot on election day, you may apply for an absentee ballot, which you will need to complete and return to your elections official.

How to Obtain an Absentee Ballot

Registered voters can apply for an absentee ballot for the June 6, 2006, Election between May 8, 2006 and May 30, 2006, in several ways. Applications must be submitted to the county elections officials no later than 5 p.m. on May 30, 2006 (7 days prior to Election Day)

1. Fill out the back cover of your sample ballot with your address, sign, and date. Mail at least 3 weeks prior to Election Day.
   
   
2. Send a letter in English to your country registrar’s office requesting absentee voter status with your name, address, mailing address, and date of election for which you are seeking the application. Sign and date the letter.
   
3. Download the absentee ballot application at the Official California State elections and Voter Information website . Sign, date the form and return to your county registrar’s office. Absentee ballot applications in C hinese, Japanese, Korean, Tagalog, and Japanese may be obtained from the Secretary of State’s Office.

Permanent Absentee Voting

You may apply for permanent absentee ballot status where you will automatically receive a permanent absentee ballot for every election. Simply follow any of the three steps above, but indicate that you are applying for permanent absentee voting. If you fail to cast a ballot in two consecutive statewide general elections, you will be removed from the permanent absent voter list and will need to reapply in order to restore status.

Voting Absentee

Once your application is processed by your county elections official, the proper ballot type/style will be sent to you. After you have voted, insert your ballot in the envelope provided for this purpose, making sure you complete all required information on the envelope. You may return your voted absentee ballot by 1) mailing it to your county elections official; 2) returning it in person to a polling place or elections office within your county on election day; or 3) authorizing a legally-allowable third party (relative or person residing 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 (8 p.m.) on election day. Late-arriving absentee ballots are not counted.

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Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk
Orange County Registrar of Voters
Riverside County Registrar of Voters
San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters
San Diego County Registrar of Voters

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For more information on voting and to learn more about the issues, access the Easy Voter Guide

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