California voting guide: Everything you need to know to help ensure your vote counts

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - From the country's next president to the state and local races, California voters will face decisions that will affect and shape their lives on Election Day, Nov. 5.

Here is a comprehensive list of information and key dates voters need to know to help ensure their ballot is turned in on time and their votes count.

How to register to vote and registration deadline:

Residents who have not yet registered to vote can do so online through the California Secretary of State's website here.  

In California, the deadline to register to vote for any election is 15 days before Election Day, so to vote in the upcoming general election, registration must be postmarked or submitted electronically no later than Oct. 21. 

California offers eligible residents Same Day Voter Registration, also known as Conditional Voter Registration, starting Oct. 22. The provision serves as a safety net for Californians who miss the deadline to register to vote or update their voter registration information ahead of an election.

I’ve registered to vote, but how can I check my status?

You can check the status of your voter registration through the Secretary of State website here. 

To find your status, you will need to enter some personal information including your California driver's license or identification card number and the last four digits of your social security number.

Deadline for early absentee voting, where to drop-off ballots:

Early voting sites open on Oct. 7. 

Any registered voter in California has the option to vote by mail instead of going to the polls on Election Day.

There are many ways to return your ballot.  

• Voters can mail in their ballot to their county elections office.
• Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by your county elections office no later than seven days after Election Day.
• If you are not confident your vote-by-mail ballot will arrive on time, bring it to any polling place in California on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Ballots can be dropped off at a ballot drop-off location or into a ballot drop box within the state.
• Vote-by-mail ballots that are personally delivered to a ballot drop-off location must be delivered no later than the close of polls at 8 p.m. on Election Day.
• Voters may authorize someone else to return the ballot on their behalf, as long as they do not get paid on a per-ballot basis.
• If someone is dropping off your ballot for you, you must fill out the authorization section found on the outside of your ballot envelope.

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How to track your mail-in ballot:

The California Secretary of State's office offers voters a way to track and receive notifications on the status of their vote-by-mail ballot. 

Voters can track their ballot by signing up for the "Where’s My Ballot?" tool here.

What time do the polls open and close on Election Day?

On Tuesday, Nov. 5, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Where do I vote? How to find my precinct?

Look for your polling place address or vote center locations in the county voter information guide that you received in the mail a few weeks before Election Day. 

You may also visit the Secretary of State’s website here or call the toll-free Voter Hotline at (800) 345-VOTE (8683).

Bay Area county-by-county links for polling places:

• Alameda County: Vote center location look-up
• Contra Costa County: Polling place look-up
• Marin County: Vote center locations look-up
• Napa County: Vote center locations look-up
• San Francisco: Polling place look-up
• San Mateo County: Vote center locations look-up
• Santa Clara County: Vote center locations look-up
• Solano County: Sample ballot and polling place Look-up
• Sonoma County: Vote center locations

What to bring when you vote in-person:

The Secretary of State's office says in most cases, voters in California are not required to show identification to cast a ballot.

However, you may be asked to show ID if you are voting for the first time after registering to vote by mail and did not provide your driver's license number or California identification number and the last four digits of your social security number on your registration form.

You can review the complete list of acceptable forms of voter identification to use at a polling place when voting for the first time. 

Election Night- How your votes are counted:

California counties handle the counting of ballots.

The complete tally of votes is never finished on Election Night. Elections officials will continue the count as the vote-by-mail ballots and provisional ballots come in.  These ballots are always counted during the official canvass period in the 30 days after Election Day.  

How to report voting issues:

If you believe that you are a victim of election fraud or have witnessed a criminal violation involving election laws, you can report the issue by completing the Secretary of State's online Election Voter Complaint Form here. 

Voters can also download and print a complaint form.

• Election Voter Complaint Form - English (PDF)
• Election Voter Complaint Form - Spanish (PDF)

The form can then be mailed or faxed to:

California Secretary of State
Elections Division
1500 11th Street, 5th Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
Fax: (916) 653-3214

Complaints about possible violations of federal voting rights laws can be submitted through the Civil Rights Division’s website here or by calling 1-800-253-3931.

Residents can also report suspected voter-related criminal activity to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or by filing an online complaint on the FBI website.