Conditional Voter Registration Expands Voting Opportunities in California

LOS ANGELES – Tomorrow marks the first election when California voters can utilize Conditional Voter Registration, otherwise commonly referred to as Same Day Registration. Previously, voters who didn’t register to vote or update their registration before the May 21 deadline would not have been able to participate in California’s June 5, 2018 statewide primary election. Conditional Voter Registration, passed in 2016, allows Californians to register and vote in the same day at a county elections office or other designated location after the traditional 15-day voter registration deadline.

“Instead of being shut out of an election 15 days before it takes place, Californians now have another option to participate in the democratic process,” says Kiyana Asemanfar, Policy Outreach Coordinator at California Common Cause. “Conditional Voter Registration is a commonsense solution that allows voters to join the electorate and make their voice heard at any point. Democracy shouldn’t have blackout periods, and with Conditional Voter Registration it won’t in California.”

Californians who want to register to vote after the 15-day deadline can visit their county elections office or designated location to fill out a voter registration form along with their ballot.  Once their voter registration form is processed and complete, their ballot will be counted. They can do this after May 21 through Election Day.

In the 5 counties piloting the Voter’s Choice Act this year, residents can visit a Vote Center in their county to access Conditional Voter Registration and cast their ballot any day leading up to and including Election Day. Find a list of Vote Center locations in Voter’s Choice Act counties here.

For the other 53 counties, the California Secretary of State’s website lists locations offering early voting services, as well as Conditional Voter Registration locations indicated by an asterisk*.

To learn more, visit the Secretary of State’s page on Conditional Voter Registration here.

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