sos.ca.gov Check Status of Your Voter Registration : California

Organization : California Secretary of State
Facility : Check Status of Your Voter Registration
State : California
Country : United States

Check Here : http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/registration-status/
Home Page : http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/

Check Status of Your Voter Registration :
** Don’t remember if you’re registered to vote? Need to check what name you’re registered under or what political party you’re registered with?
** Some county elections officials allow you to check the status of your voter registration through their website, by telephone, or both.
** To find out if you are currently registered to vote in your county, click on the appropriate link below or call the phone number listed for the county elections office.
** For further information about the elections services provided in your county, visit our County Elections offices page.
** Not sure what county you live in? Simply enter your zip code with the U.S. Census Bureau or call our voter hotline at (800) 345-VOTE.
** If you are not registered to vote, you can fill out an online voter registration application.
** You can also print a blank application or pick up an application at your county elections office, any Department of Motor Vehicles office, and many post offices, public libraries, and government offices. To have a paper application mailed to you call your county elections office or the Secretary of State’s toll-free voter hotline at (800) 345-VOTE.

Voting in California :
** It’s easy to take part in elections when you have the tools and information! Whether it’s your first time voting or you are an experienced voter who has moved and just need to re-register to vote, Voting in California will give you everything you need to get started.
** Here, you can apply to register to vote or fill in a printable vote-by-mail application, find your polling place and learn what to expect on Election Day.
** You can also brush up on your rights and responsibilities as a voter, find answers to your questions about elections and voting, and get informed about the issues on the next statewide election ballot.

Help Strengthen Our Democracy :
Want to spread the word about voting? Visit Help Strengthen Our Democracy to find out how you can join Secretary Padilla and a wide range of employers, nonprofit organizations and educators around the state who are working to improve voter participation in California.

WHY VOTE? :
** Elections are one of the most important parts of a democracy.
** They give you the opportunity to choose laws and government leaders.
** Early in our nation’s history, voting was highly restricted.
** Who could vote in an election was dictated by a person’s gender and ethnicity, whether they owned land and could pass a literacy test, and other factors.
** People fought for many years to expand and protect voting rights.
** The California Secretary of State works to register every eligible person to vote, and to make it as easy as possible for registered voters to cast ballots privately and independently.
** This guide describes many of the rights and responsibilities of voters, and provides important information you need in order to participate in elections.

CAN I REGISTER TO VOTE? :
To register to vote in California, you must be:
** A United States citizen,
** A resident of California,
** 18 years of age or older on Election Day,
** Not in prison, on parole, serving a state prison sentence in county jail, serving a sentence for a felony pursuant to subdivision (h) of Penal Code section 1170, or on post release community supervision, and
** Not found by a court to be mentally incompetent.

HOW DO I REGISTER TO VOTE? :
You can get a voter registration application at many places throughout the state:
** California Secretary of State website at RegisterToVote.ca.gov
** California Secretary of State Voter Hotline at (800) 345-VOTE (8683)
** County elections offices or city halls
** Public libraries
** Post offices
** California Department of Motor Vehicles offices
** Disability service agencies
** Public assistance agencies
** California Board of Equalization and Franchise Tax Board offices
** Armed Forces recruitment offices

If you have a California identification card or driver license, you must provide the number on your voter registration application. If you do not have one of those two types of identification, provide the last four digits of your social security number. If you do not have a social security number but are eligible to register, you will be assigned a unique identification number for voting purposes only.

WHEN DO I REGISTER TO VOTE? :
** While you may register to vote at any time, in most cases you must be registered to vote at least 15 days before an election day to be eligible to vote in that election.
** You must re-register to vote if you move, change your name, or want to indicate or change your political party preference.

HOW DO I INDICATE A POLITICAL PARTY PREFERENCE? :
** You may indicate whether or not you prefer one of California’s qualified political parties when you register to vote.
** Indicating a preference with a party ensures that you can vote for that party’s candidate in a presidential primary election.
** If you indicate on your voter registration application that you do not prefer any political party, you will be registered as a No Party Preference (NPP) voter.
** In presidential primary elections, some political parties allow NPP voters to help choose their candidates.
** In all elections, NPP voters may vote for ballot measures and candidates running for voter-nominated, local, and nonpartisan offices.

HOW DO PRIMARY AND GENERAL ELECTIONS WORK? :
** A primary election is held a few months before a general election.
** State legislative, U.S. congressional, and state constitutional offices are known as voter-nominated offices.
** In a primary election, all candidates for a voter-nominated office are listed on one ballot.
** Any voter may vote for any one candidate in each contest, regardless of party preference.
** The two candidates who receive the most votes in each primary contest move on to the general election.
** After a top-two primary, a general election must be held even if one candidate receives a majority of the vote (50 percent +1) and even if there are only two candidates in the primary election.
** This top-two primary system does not apply to candidates running for U.S. president, county central committee, or local offices.

AM I REGISTERED TO VOTE? :
To check your voter registration status, contact your county elections office. To find contact information for your county, visit sos.ca.gov or see page 8 of this brochure.

CAN I VOTE BY MAIL? :
Yes, any registered voter can vote by mail. You must request a vote-by-mail ballot from your county elections office at least seven days before an election day to be eligible to vote by mail in that election. Fill out the vote-by-mail ballot application in your sample ballot booklet, find one at www.sos.ca.gov, or contact your county elections office. You may also send a written request that includes 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.
To find out if you have already applied to vote by mail, contact your county elections office.

To ensure it arrives by the deadline, return your ballot either:
]** By mail, as long as your voted ballot is received by your county elections office by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. Since postmarks do not count, mail your ballot a few days before Election Day.
** In person, to your county elections office or any polling place in your county before 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.