California Voters Have 14 Days to Register and Vote on Election Day

The window to register for California's Nov. 3 general election closed online on Oct. 19, but 14 days remain for eligible residents to sign up and vote in person. This final period allows citizens who missed the initial deadline to utilize the same day voter registration process.

Eligible voters must be United States citizens, California residents, and at least 18 years old on election day. Individuals serving a state or federal prison term for a felony or deemed mentally incompetent by a court are excluded from voting. Those who have changed their name, residence address, mailing address, or political party must also re register during this final window.

New citizens who obtained their status fewer than 15 days before the election can register by visiting their county elections office before polls close. These voters must present proof of citizenship and sign a form confirming their eligibility to vote in California.

To complete the registration, applicants generally provide a state driver's license or California identification card number. Those without these documents can use the last four numbers of their Social Security card. If an applicant has neither, election officials assign a unique identifier to validate the registration.

Officials verify California ID numbers against Department of Motor Vehicles records and Social Security numbers against Social Security Administration records. Election staff verify unique identifiers manually. Voters seeking assistance can access election materials in English, Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Tagalog, Thai, or Vietnamese through specific phone lines and online tools.

According to the Los Angeles County registrar recorder office, in person voting centers are open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Nov. 2. On election day, all polling locations operate from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters who register on the same day receive a provisional ballot, which is a standard ballot placed in a special envelope.

Elections officials review provisional ballots to confirm the voter is registered in the correct county and has not already voted. Once this verification is complete, the ballot is processed and added to the total count.