State of California Elections & Voting
Election Day is November 8
- October 10 Every registered voter will be mailed a vote-by-mail ballot
- October 11 First day of voting-by-mail
- October 24 Deadline to register to vote (same-day registration is allowed)
- November 8 Deadline to postmark vote-by-mail ballots
- November 8 Election day
- November 15 Deadline for election authority to receive vote-by-mail ballots
To register to vote in California, you must be:
- A United States citizen
- A resident of California
- 18 years old on election day (16 and 17-year-olds can preregister)
- Not currently serving a state or federal prison term for the conviction of a felony
- Not currently found mentally incompetent to vote by a court
How to register to vote:
- You can apply to register to vote right now by filling in the online application.
- If you would like to register using a paper voter registration application, you can pick one up at your county elections office, library, Department of Motor Vehicles offices, or U.S. post office. It is important that your voter registration application be filled out completely and be postmarked or hand-delivered to your county elections office at least 15 days before the election.
- To request a paper voter registration application be mailed to you, please call (800) 345-VOTE(8683) or email Elections Division staff.
Same-day voter registration
- Same Day Voter Registration, known as Conditional Voter Registration in state law, is a safety net for Californians who miss the deadline to register to vote or update their voter registration information for an election.
- Eligible citizens who need to register or re-register to vote within 14 days of an election can complete this process to register and vote at their county elections office, polling place, or vote center. Their ballots will be processed and counted once the county elections office has completed the voter registration verification process.
- Visit sos.ca.gov for a list of early voting locations where you can complete the Same Day Voter Registration Process.
- Need to register on Election Day? Use our polling place lookup tool to find your local polling location.
Voter Registration ID Requirements
- To register online you will need
-
- Your California driver license or California identification card number,
- The last four digits of your social security number and
- Your date of birth.
- Your information will be provided to the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to retrieve a copy of your DMV signature.
- If you do not have a California driver license or California identification card, you can still use this form to apply to register to vote. However, you will need to take additional steps to complete your voter registration.
If you are a first-time voter in a federal election and you did not provide this information when you registered, and you plan to:
- Vote by mail: prior to voting your ballot, send a photocopy of your personal identification to your county elections official. If you do not do this prior to voting, you will be contacted by your county elections official upon receipt of your voted ballot to request the required proof of identity. You must provide an acceptable form of identification to your county elections official before they can open your vote-by-mail ballot return envelope. If your identity cannot be verified, your vote-by-mail ballot return envelope will not be opened and your ballot will not be counted.
- Vote in person: prior to receiving your ballot at your polling location, you may be asked to provide an acceptable form of identification.
- Examples of acceptable forms of personal identification are as follows: a copy of a recent utility bill, the county Voter Information Guide you received from your county elections office or another document sent to you by a government agency, or a copy of your passport, driver license, California identification card, or student identification card. For more information on the type of identification to use when you vote for the first time, review thecomplete list of acceptable forms of identification (PDF), call the Secretary of State’s toll-free voter hotline at (800) 345-VOTE (8683), or contact your county elections official.
Vote-by-Mail
All California active registered voters will receive a vote-by-mail ballot for the November 8, General Election. Your county elections office will begin mailing ballots no later than October 10, 2022. You may return your voted ballot by:
- mailing it to your county elections official
- returning it in person to any polling place within the state or the office of your county elections official
- dropping your ballot off at a drop-off location or into a ballot drop box within the state
- authorizing someone to return the ballot on your behalf
When your vote-by-mail ballot is received by your county elections official, your signature on the return envelope will be compared to the signature(s) in your voter registration record. To preserve the secrecy of your ballot, the ballot will then be separated from the return envelope, and then it will be tallied. All valid vote-by-mail ballots are counted in every election in California, regardless of the outcome or closeness of any race
Resources
- Guide for Voter Registration Drives in California
- Native American Voting Rights (NAVRA)
- A Tribal Leaders Guide to Prepare for the Next Election
- Addressing: A Guide for Tribes
- Native Language Speakers Have Voting Rights!
- Examples of Voter Discrimination and Suppression in Indian Country
- Native Americans Depend on Ballot Collection
Tribes in California
Federally recognized tribes
- Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians of the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation
- Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians
- Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria
- Berry Creek Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California
- Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians of the Big Valley Rancheria
- Bishop Paiute Tribe
- Blue Lake Rancheria
- Bridgeport Indian Colony
- Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians of California
- Cabazon Band of Mission Indians
- Cachil DeHe Band of Wintun Indians of the Colusa Indian Community of the Colusa Rancheria
- Cahto Tribe of the Laytonville Rancheria
- Cahuilla Band of Indians
- California Valley Miwok Tribe
- Campo Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the Campo Indian Reservation
- Capitan Grande Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of California (Barona Group of Capitan Grande Band of Mission Indians of the Barona Reservation)
- Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians of California
- Cloverdale Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California
- Cold Springs Rancheria of Mono Indians of California
- Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians of California
- Elk Valley Rancheria
- Enterprise Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California
- Ewiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay Indians
- Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria
- Fort Bidwell Indian Community of the Fort Bidwell Reservation of California
- Fort Independence Indian Community of Paiute Indians of the Fort Independence Reservation
- Fort Mojave Indian Tribe of Arizona, California & Nevada
- Greenville Rancheria
- Grindstone Indian Rancheria of Wintun-Wailaki Indians of California
- Guidiville Rancheria of California
- Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake
- Hoopa Valley Tribe
- Hopland Band of Pomo Indians
- Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel
- Inaja Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the Inaja and Cosmit Reservation
- Ione Band of Miwok Indians of California
- Jackson Band of Miwuk Indians
- Jamul Indian Village of California
- Karuk Tribe
- Kashia Band of Pomo Indians of the Stewarts Point Rancheria
- Kletsel Dehe Band of Wintun Indians
- Koi Nation of Northern California
- La Jolla Band of Luiseno Indians
- La Posta Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the La Posta Indian Reservation
- Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Tribe
- Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians
- Lytton Rancheria of California
- Manchester Band of Pomo Indians of the Manchester Rancheria
- Manzanita Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the Manzanita Reservation
- Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria
- Mesa Grande Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the Mesa Grande Reservation
- Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California
- Morongo Band of Mission Indians
- Northfork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California
- Pala Band of Mission Indians
- Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians of California
- Pauma Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pauma & Yuima Reservation
- Pechanga Band of Indians
- Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians of California
- Pinoleville Pomo Nation
- Pit River Tribe
- Potter Valley Tribe
- Quartz Valley Indian Community of the Quartz Valley Reservation of California
- Ramona Band of Cahuilla
- Redding Rancheria
- Redwood Valley or Little River Band of Pomo Indians of the Redwood Valley Rancheria California
- Resighini Rancheria
- San Pasqual Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of California
- Santa Rosa Band of Cahuilla Indians
- Santa Rosa Indian Community of the Santa Rosa Rancheria
- Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians of the Santa Ynez Reservation
- Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians of California
- Sherwood Valley Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California
- Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, Shingle Springs Rancheria (Verona Tract)
- Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians
- Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation
State recognized tribes
- None
Native Vote Coordinators
Sign up to be a local Native Vote coordinator today!
California Native Vote website
Jeanian Espinoza
Tribal Council
Santa Rosa Band of Cahuilla Indians
(951) 659-2700
jespinoza@santarosacahuilla-nsn.gov
Larry Hendrix
Council Member
Yurok Tribe
lhendrix@yuroktribe.nsn.us
Major Party Contact Information
Democrat
Chairman, John Burton
www.cadem.org
Chair, Andrew Masiel
Native American Caucus
www.nativeamericancaucus.org
Republican
Chairman, Jim Brulte
www.cagop.org