Registration Information

Who can register to vote?

To register to vote in California, you must be:

Registration Methods

Military and Overseas Voter Registration
Confidential Voter Registration
Conditional Voter Registration
Re-Registration
New Citizens



Check Your Voter Registration And Election Information

  • Check if you are registered to vote.
  • Check where you are registered to vote.
  • Check your political party preference.
  • Check your language preference for election materials.
  • Check the status of your vote-by-mail or provisional ballot.

   

PERSONS WITH A CRIMINAL HISTORY WHO CAN REGISTER TO VOTE:
  • In county jail:
    • serving a misdemeanor sentence (a misdemeanor never affects your right to vote)
    • Because jail time is a condition of probation (misdemeanor or felony)
    • Serving a felony jail sentence
    • Awaiting trial
  • On parole
  • On probation
  • On mandatory supervision
  • On post-release community supervision
  • On federal supervised release
  • A person with a juvenile wardship adjudication
            

Persons with a criminal history who cannot register to vote:

Currently serving a state or federal prison term for the conviction of a felony in:

  • State prison
  • Federal prison
  • County jail or other correctional facility*
Note
Once you have finished serving your term, your right to vote is restored; however, you must register online at RegisterToVote.ca.gov or by filling out a paper voter registration card.

* California Penal Code section 2910 allows the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to make agreements with local governments to house felons in a county jail or other correctional facility. A person serving a state prison sentence who is housed in a local jail or other facility under these circumstances is not allowed to register to vote.

Voting Rights: Persons with a Criminal History | California Secretary of State

Proposition 17 removed being on parole for the conviction of a felony as a disqualifying factor to register to vote. If you are on parole for the conviction of a felony you can register to vote.

Restore Your Vote | California Secretary of State