2026 election

Voting in California

Primary

Held

Tuesday, June 2

Early voting

May 4th – June 1st

General

Tuesday, November 3

Early voting

October 5 – November 2

Hours and locations vary by county

Register online by: October 19, 11:59pm
Register by mail by: October 19
Register in person by: November 3
Mail it back postmarked by: November 3 and received by November 10
Or drop it off by: November 3, 8pm

See every race and candidate on your California ballot, and where each one stands, before you vote.

Plan your ballot →

How to cast your ballot

By mail

Every registered voter is mailed a ballot automatically.

Request a ballot Track your ballot The rules Where to drop it off

In person

Polls open on election day: 7am – 8pm
Or vote early: In the windows shown above

What counts as ID

If you choose to vote in person and you’ve voted in California before, you don’t need to show ID.

If you’re a first time voter in a federal election who registered by mail and didn’t include your driver’s license number, California ID number, or the last four digits of your Social Security number on your registration, you may be asked to provide ID when you vote.

Acceptable forms include:

Copy of a recent utility bill
The county Voter Information Guide you received from your county elections office or another document sent to you by a government agency
Copy of your US passport
Copy of your driver's license
Copy of your official state identification card
Copy of your student identification card showing your name and photograph

You can find a full list of acceptable forms of proof of identity on the California Secretary of State website.

Voters without ID: If you are unable to provide ID, you will be able to vote a provisional ballot.

Find your polling place Early voting

Before you can vote

Registering

Ways to register:

Online
By mail
At the polls on election day

California lets you pre-register from age 16, so you are on the roll the moment you turn 18.

Who can register, and what you need

To register in California you must:

be a United States citizen
be a California resident
be at least 18 years old or older on Election Day
not be currently serving a state or federal prison term for the conviction of a felony
not be currently found to be mentally incompetent to vote by a court

Check if you are registered Register

Which primary can you vote in?

You are NOT required to register with a party to participate in California partisan primary elections. However, some parties do not allow unaffiliated voters to participate in their party’s presidential, local, or county committee primary elections.

Also voted on June 2: Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Dakota.

Dates, deadlines and rules come from DemocracyWorks, last refreshed August 27, 2026; poll hours from our own election guide. Rules change — check with your election office before you rely on a date.