How to vote in California’s November 2026 general election

Voters have several ways to cast their ballots in the Nov. 3 general election. Here’s your guide for how to vote.

There are two ways to find out whether you’re already registered to vote.

1. Visit the secretary of state’s website. You’ll need to enter a California driver’s license or identification number or the last four digits of your Social Security number.
2. You also can call the state’s voter hotline (available in 10 languages, contacts listed here) at (800) 345-8683 to get a paper application mailed to you, or you can pick up one at a county election office, most California libraries and United States Post Office locations, as well as federal, state and local government offices — including the Department of Motor Vehicles.

If you opt to register online, officials say you should wait at least 24 hours before checking your voter status.

Election day is Nov. 3, and the last day to register online to vote — or have your application postmarked by — is Oct. 19.

You must be a United States citizen and a California resident, 18 years or older on election day, not currently serving a state or federal prison term for a felony, and not deemed mentally incompetent by a court.

If you’ve become a U.S. citizen less than 15 days before the election, you still may be able to register and vote.

If you’ve failed to meet the registration deadline, you can register as a conditional voter through the same-day voter registration process.

Eligible citizens who need to register or reregister to vote within 14 days of an election can complete this process to register and vote at county elections offices, polling places or vote centers.

If you’ve become a U.S. citizen less than 15 days before the election, you may register to vote by visiting your county elections office any time before the polls close on election day. You must bring proof that you are a U.S. citizen and sign a form saying you are eligible to vote in California. For more information, contact your county elections office; a complete list of contact information for each county office can be found here.

These ballots will be processed and counted once the county elections office has completed the voter registration verification process.

Voters can choose to get election information in English, Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Tagalog, Thai or Vietnamese by calling the phone numbers listed here or by using these online options to get help.

The Remote Accessible Vote-By-Mail system allows voters to make their ballot selections using compatible technology in the privacy of their home.

To use the system, you’ll need to:

• Download the system application
• Mark the ballot selections on the app
• Print the ballot
• Sign the envelope provided with the vote-by-mail ballot or the voter’s own envelope
• Return the printed and signed selections either by mail or by dropping it off at a voting location

Information about how to request this option can be found here.

Ballots will start being mailed to all California registered voters by Oct. 5. You can mail back your ballot once completed or drop it off at a designated secured location starting that same day.

The first vote centers open for early in-person voting Oct. 24 — but only in Voter’s Choice Act counties. To see if your county participates, check here. In-person early voting expands significantly Oct. 31, with locations open across the state.

Early voting and drop-off locations for the general election will be posted to the secretary of state’s website here on Oct. 5.

To find your polling location, you can visit your county elections official’s website or the secretary of state’s website here.

Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked no later than Nov. 3 and received by election officials no later than Nov. 10. If mailing your ballot on election day, officials say to get a hand-stamped postmark from a postal employee inside the post office.

You can find your polling place here or by calling (800) 345-8683. All polling locations are open on election day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Once cast, you can track your ballot here.

The Los Angeles Times will be covering election night. County election officials begin reporting results at 8 p.m. and update throughout the night and in the days and weeks ahead.

County election officials must certify results by Dec. 3. The official certified results will be posted by the secretary of state on Dec. 11.