2022 California general election: How to register, mail ballots and key dates
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2022 California general election: How to register, mail ballots and key dates
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8. Here are important reminders about your mail ballots, key dates and more.
Register to vote
The deadline to register to vote in California is 15 days before Election Day. For the 2022 election on Nov. 8, have your registration postmarked or submitted online by Oct. 24.
You can fill out an online application for your voter registration on registertovote.ca.gov or inquire at your local elections office, library, DMV or post office for a physical copy.
The application will ask for your driver license, your identification card number or the last four digits of your social security number. If you do not have any of those, you’ll be assigned a number as a voter.
If you miss this deadline, you can still vote conditionally. That means eligible voters may go to their elections office within those 14 days before polls close to cast a ballot, which will be counted after registration is verified. This is called “Same Day” or “Conditional Voter Registration.”
You’re eligible to vote in the general election if you’re a U.S. citizen and resident of California, at least 18 years old, with few exceptions.
When mail ballots go out
County elections offices will send out ballots to voters no later than Oct. 10. You should see a ballot in your mail box soon.
If for some reason you need to request a new mail ballot, you can do so by contacting your local elections office.
What to do next
Once you have your ballot, you can mail it back to the elections office or place it in a secured ballot drop box. If you choose to mail it, it must be postmarked on or before Nov. 8 and received by the county elections office “no later than 7 days after Election Day.”
If you’re unsure your ballot will make it on time, it’s best to drop it at a polling place before close of polls on Election Day.
To find your closest voting center or drop box location, you can go to the state’s website. It’s typically updated two to four weeks before relevant elections in your area.
You can see if your vote-by-mail ballot was received and counted by going on the state’s tracker, Where’s My Ballot.
Voting in person
If you choose to vote in person, you likely won’t be asked to provide identification. However, if it’s your first time and you didn’t otherwise provide your driver license number, you’ll need to show an ID.
When are polls open?
Here are the key dates and times:
- As soon as you have your mail ballot, you can vote. The deadline for them to be mailed to you is Oct. 10.
- Voter registration deadline is Oct. 24.
- On Oct. 25, conditional voting opens.
- On Oct. 29, vote centers open in counties that are part of the Voter’s Choice Act.
- On Nov. 8, Election Day, polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. statewide
How to volunteer
Polling stations are largely run by volunteers. In Sacramento County, about 1,000 volunteers are hired for every election, said Janna Haynes, a county spokeswoman.
You can apply to be a volunteer for an election through the state, or you can check on your county registrar’s website for an application. For smaller counties, you may find the application on the clerks reporters website.
Sacramento County and Yolo County are fully staffed for the upcoming November election, The Bee confirmed. However, you can still fill out an application and be added to the wait-list in both counties. You can also apply to volunteer in Placer and El Dorado counties.
Have questions?
Sacramento Bee journalists will be ready to answer your election-related questions as we approach these deadlines. You can submit your questions to the service journalism team at utilityteam@sacbee.com. If we move forward with your submission, a reporter or editor will reach out to you via email or phone.
Continued coverage
For continued coverage of the election, candidate information and our complete Voter Guide, visit sacbee.com/voter-guide.
This story was originally published October 9, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "2022 California general election: How to register, mail ballots and key dates."