This page uses javascript to help render elements, if you have problems please enable javascript.
 
Skip to main content
 
 
 
You are now inside the main content area
 
 

How To Vote

Timelines

Primary Election

  • February 5th – Early voting begins
  • February 20th – Voter registration ends
  • March 5th – Primary Election Day

Presidential Election

  • October 21st – Voter registration deadline
  • November 5th – Presidential Election Day

 

Vote by Mail

Registered voters can expect to receive a vote-by-mail (absentee) ballot sent to the address listed on their voter registration. If you have moved, you need to  re-register  with your new address to prevent your ballot from being delivered to your previous address. Please see  How to Register  for more information.

Return Options

  • By Mail: The United States Postal Service recommends returning your completed ballot in the mail at least seven days (or more!) before election day. No postage is required.
  • California ballots will be counted as long as they are postmarked on or before Election Day (November 5th) and received by your county elections official no later than 17 days after the election. The California Secretary of State is now offering  ballot tracking, a new way for voters to track and receive notifications on the status of their vote-by-mail ballot. It lets voters know when their ballot has been mailed, received and counted.
  • Ballot Drop Box Location, Polling Location or Vote Center: Vote-by-mail ballots may also be dropped off during Early Voting or on Election Day at any of  these locations in Orange County.

If you are a registered voter in Orange County who intends to vote by mail but did not receive your ballot or have misplaced it, you may request a replacement ballot. Those in other counties should contact their county elections official in order to be at a second vote-by-mail ballot.

Voter Centers and Polling Locations

Voters will find their polling place address or vote center locations in the county Voter Information Guide received in the mail a few weeks before Election Day.

Orange County voters may visit any  County Vote Center  to deliver or cast their ballot, including one of our campus Vote Centers.

Unlike a Vote Center, traditional polling locations are specific to a certain neighborhood. For voting information that is specific to you, such as our polling place, you may visit  My Voter Status .

 

Voting for the First Time

When you registered to vote, you were asked to fill in your driver's license number, California identification number, or the last four digits of your Social Security number. If you did not include this information when you registered, send a photocopy of some personal identification with your Vote-by-Mail Application or to your county elections official before the election.

If you are planning to vote for the first time and plan to do so in person after registering to vote without providing your driver's license number, California identification number or the last four digits of your social security number on your registration form, you may be asked to show a form of identification when you go to the polls.

Acceptable forms of identification include a 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 are examples of acceptable forms of identification. Other examples include your passport, driver's license, official California identification card, or student identification card.

Additional Resources 

Before casting your ballot, it is also important to know your rights! Check out the  California Voter Bill of Rights  for more information.