Register or check your record
Register online or have a paper application postmarked by October 19. From October 20 through Election Day, eligible voters can use conditional registration and vote in person.
Official voter resources
Make your California voting plan
Check your registration, exact ballot, early voting site, drop box, polling place, and vote-by-mail status through official California voter services. Every active registered voter is mailed a ballot.
First steps
Start with these three actions
Find your exact ballot and voting location
My Voter Status provides registration, polling place, upcoming election, and ballot status information. Your County Voter Information Guide contains your sample ballot and local contests.
Plan early or vote by mail
Early voting and secure drop-off locations begin opening October 5. Return a mailed ballot early, use a drop box, or deliver it in person by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
October 5ballots, early voting, and drop boxes begin
October 19regular registration deadline
November 10mailed ballot receipt deadline
7 a.m. to 8 p.m.Election Day poll hours
Election timeline
County voter guides are mailed
County elections officials mail County Voter Information Guides, which contain each voter's sample ballot and local contests.
Mail ballots, early voting, and drop boxes begin
Counties must begin mailing ballots to active registered voters. Early voting sites begin opening, and every county must have secure ballot drop-off locations available.
Regular voter registration deadline
Register online or have a paper registration application postmarked by this date.
Conditional registration period
Eligible voters can register or update their record and vote at a county elections office, vote center, or polling place. The ballot is counted after registration is verified.
Voter's Choice Act vote centers open
Counties operating under the Voter's Choice Act must open vote centers by this date. Other early voting locations and hours vary by county.
Recommended date to mail your ballot
The Secretary of State recommends mailing at least seven days before Election Day. If mailing on Election Day, ask a postal employee inside a post office for a manual postmark.
General Election Day and in-person ballot deadline
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Personally delivered and drop-box ballots must be returned by 8 p.m. Anyone in line at 8 p.m. may vote.
Mailed ballot receipt deadline
A mailed ballot must be postmarked on or before November 3 and received by the county elections office no later than November 10.
Signature correction deadline
A voter correcting a missing or nonmatching ballot-envelope signature must get the completed statement to the county elections office by this deadline.
Check the current rule: Early voting locations and hours vary by county. Seal, sign, and date the vote-by-mail return envelope. Candidate order can rotate by Assembly district, and appellate judicial contests depend on the voter's district. Check My Voter Status and your County Voter Information Guide before acting.
14 statewide propositions
The Secretary of State lists Propositions 1 through 5 and 37 through 45 for the November general election. The numbering gap is official. Read the state voter guide for the analysis, fiscal effect, arguments, and full text.
- Proposition 1Authorizes bonds for housing affordability programs. Legislative statute.
- Proposition 2Increases the state's rainy day fund. Legislative constitutional amendment.
- Proposition 3Provides permanent funding for schools and health care by extending an existing tax on high incomes. Initiative constitutional amendment.
- Proposition 4Repeals the prohibition against public funding of election campaigns. Legislative statute.
- Proposition 5Changes the recall election process for statewide officers. Legislative constitutional amendment.
- Proposition 37Creates a loan program for middle-income buyers of qualified new homes. Initiative statute.
- Proposition 38Authorizes bonds for immunology medical research. Initiative statute.
- Proposition 39Prohibits citizens from voting unless they present government-issued identification. Initiative constitutional amendment.
- Proposition 40Imposes a one-time tax on certain taxpayers. Initiative constitutional amendment and statute.
- Proposition 41Prohibits new state taxes that exclude revenues from the state spending limit and requires audits for new state special taxes. Initiative constitutional amendment.
- Proposition 42Prohibits new state personal property taxes and certain retroactive state taxes. Initiative constitutional amendment.
- Proposition 43Limits voters' ability to raise revenues for local government services. Legislative constitutional amendment.
- Proposition 44Requires community health clinics to spend 90 percent of revenue on program services. Initiative statute.
- Proposition 45Modifies environmental review for certain projects. Initiative statute.
2 statewide Supreme Court retention questions
California voters statewide will decide whether to retain Associate Justices Kelli M. Evans and Joshua Groban. Court of Appeal retention questions vary by district, so check your County Voter Information Guide for the judicial contests on your ballot.
Read the official Supreme Court guideCheck the state guide and your exact county ballot
The State Voter Information Guide covers statewide candidates, propositions, and Supreme Court retention. Your County Voter Information Guide contains your sample ballot, district contests, local measures, and voting locations.
Compare the state and county voter guidesOfficial voter links
General election key datesOfficial November 3 deadlines for registration, voting, and ballot return.Register to VoteOnline voter registration and official eligibility information.My Voter StatusCheck registration, polling place, election, and ballot status information.Same Day RegistrationConditional registration rules from October 20 through Election Day.Early voting and drop boxesOfficial locator for available early voting and secure ballot return sites.Vote by mailOfficial return instructions, assistance rules, and replacement ballot information.Where's My Ballot?Sign up for ballot tracking notices and check ballot status.Official Voter Information GuideStatewide candidates, propositions, Supreme Court retention, and voting information.
Dates checked September 30, 2026. Confirm them at the linked official source.