VOTE IN CALIFORNIA

for 2020 General Election

Tuesday, November 3rd

VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE:

Monday, October 19th, 2020 (online, by mail)

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2020 (in person)

HOW DO YOU PLAN TO REGISTER TO VOTE?

• VOTER REGISTRATION: ONLINE

  All voters wishing to vote in 2020 General Election in California must be registered to vote by Monday, October 19th. Click here to register to vote online.

• VOTER REGISTRATION: BY MAIL

  All voters wishing to vote in 2020 General Election in California must be registered to vote by Monday, October 19th. To request a paper voter registration application be mailed to you, please call (800) 345-8683 or email Elections Division staff.

• VOTER REGISTRATION: IN PERSON

  All voters wishing to vote in 2020 General Election in California must be registered to vote by Monday, October 19th by visiting your local Election Office, library, Department of Motor Vehicles Office, or U.S. Post office. In-person voter registration may also be accepted at your polling place on Election Day.

HOW DO YOU PLAN TO VOTE?

• VOTE IN PERSON

  Polling place hours: 7 am – 8 pm for casting votes and dropping off mail-in ballots.

  In most cases, a California voter is not required to show identification to a polling place worker before casting a ballot.

  Special requirement for first-time voters:
  A voter may be asked to provide identification at the polls if it is the voter’s first time voting. Proof of residency is required for those who did not provide a driver’s license number, state identification number, or the last four digits of a Social Security number at the time of voter registration.

  A copy of a recent utility bill, the sample ballot booklet you received from your county elections office or another document sent to you by a government agency are examples of acceptable forms of identification. Passport, driver license, official state identification card, or student identification card showing your name and photograph will do as well. You can review the complete list of the acceptable forms of voter identification to use at a polling place when voting for the first time or call the Secretary of State’s toll-free Voter Hotline at (800) 345-VOTE (8683) for more information.

• VOTE EARLY (IN PERSON)

  Early voting is available in select counties in California. Please reach your county election office to check availability in your county. The list of election offices in all counties throughout California may be found at this link.

  Where available, Early Voting will take place from October 31st through November 2nd, 2020.

• VOTE BY MAIL

  Please be reminded that all registered voters in California will automatically receive a mail-in ballot for the general election this year. You may find more information on the mail-in ballot at this link. Your mail-in ballot will be sent starting on October 5th, prior to Election Day.

  • When returning your mail-in ballot, it must be postmarked by November 3rd.
  • Your mail-in ballot may also be submitted to a drop-off box or in person by 8pm on November 3rd.
  • Click here to find the list of vote centers and ballot drop boxes where your mail-in ballot may be submitted.
  • For the 2020 General Election, all registered voters in California will automatically receive a mail-in ballot. You can check your voter registration status and the address associated with you at this link.

  If you need to change any of the information on your voter registration, you may do so at this link by October 19th.

MORE INFORMATION FOR CALIFORNIA VOTERS

• KOREAN LANGUAGE SERVICES

  VOTER REGISTRATION

  California offers the voter registration form in Korean. Online voter registration is offered in Korean at this link.
  For paper registration forms, please contact your county elections office. You may also select “Korean” as your preferred language when registering to vote, in order to receive all election-related information in Korean from your county election office.

  BALLOTS

  Korean-language ballots are available in select counties in California, including Los Angeles County and Orange County.

  INTERPRETER AT POLLING PLACE

  If you require an interpreter at the poll site, please request for one to a poll worker on site. You will be provided with an interpreter either in person or on the phone. This process may take a while, but all California voters are entitled to language assistance.

• Positions on the Ballot: 2020 General Election

  U.S. PRESIDENT & VICE PRESIDENT
  ▹ Joe Biden & Kamala Harris (Democrat) vs. Donald Trump & Mike Pence (Republican)

  U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
  All positions in the 53 congressional districts of California are on the ballot. Find your congressional district on the U.S. House of Representatives website. Below are the candidates to be voted in the 2020 General Election for select districts. Incumbents are denoted with an asterisk (*).
  ▹ 12th Congressional District: Nancy Pelosi (D)* vs. Shahid Buttar (D)
  ▹ 17th Congressional District: Ro Khanna (D)* vs. Ritesh Tandon (D)
  ▹ 27th Congressional District: Judy Chu (D)* vs. Johnny Nalbandian (R)
  ▹ 28th Congressional District: Adam Schiff (D)* vs. Eric Early (R)
  ▹ 33th Congressional District: Ted Lieu (D)* vs. James P. Bradley (R)
  ▹ 34th Congressional District: Jimmy Gomez (D)* vs. David Kim (D)
  ▹ 38th Congressional District: Linda Sanchez (D)* vs. Michael Tolar (D)
  ▹ 39th Congressional District: Gil Cisneros (D)* vs. Young Kim (R)
  ▹ 45th Congressional District: Katie Porter (D)* vs. Greg Raths (R)
  ▹ 48th Congressional District: Harley Rouda (D)* vs. Michelle Park Steel (R)
  ▹ 52nd Congressional District: Scott Peters (D)* vs. Jim Debello (R)

  CALIFORNIA STATE SENATE
  Of the 40 California Senate Districts, those in the odd-numbered districts are on the ballot. Find your legislative district on the California State Legislature website. Below are the candidates to be voted in the 2020 General Election for select districts. Incumbents are denoted with an asterisk (*).
  ▹ 29th California Senate District: Ling Ling Chang (R)* vs. Josh Newman (D)
  ▹ 37th California Senate District: John Moorlach (R)* vs. Dave Min (D)

  CALIFORNIA STATE ASSEMBLY
  All positions in the 80 California Assembly Districts are on the ballot. Find your legislative district on the California State Legislature website. Below are the candidates to be voted in the 2020 General Election for select districts. Incumbents are denoted with an asterisk (*).
  ▹ 65th California Assembly District: Sharon Quirk-Silva (D)* vs. Cynthia Thaker (R)
  ▹ 68th California Assembly District: Steven Choi (R)* vs. Melissa Fox (D)
  ▹ 72nd California Assembly District: Dierdre Nguyen (D) vs. Janet Nguyen (R)

  STATEWIDE BALLOT MEASURES
  ▹ Proposition 14: Funding stem cell and other medical research
  ▹ Proposition 15: Change tax assessment of commercial and industrial property
  ▹ Proposition 16: Allowing public institutions to consider diversity
  ▹ Proposition 17: Restoration of voting rights to convicted felons upon completion of the prison term
  ▹ Proposition 18: Qualified voting rights for 17-year-olds
  ▹ Proposition 19: Property tax amendments
  ▹ Proposition 20: Restriction of parole for nonviolent offenders and expansion of felony sentencing
  ▹ Proposition 21: Expansion of local government authority over rent control on residential property
  ▹ Proposition 22: Changes to employment classification rules for app-based transportation and delivery drivers
  ▹ Proposition 23: Authorize state regulation of kidney dialysis clinics
  ▹ Proposition 24: Amend consumer privacy laws
  ▹ Proposition 25: Referendum on reinstituting the money bail system
  A complete list of all positions, candidates, and ballot measures can be found on the certificate issued by the California Secretary of State. Information on all positions and candidates for local elections will be provided by each county’s election office.

  OTHER LOCAL ELECTIONS WHERE APPLICABLE
  Below are the candidates to be voted in the 2020 General Election for select municipalities. Incumbents are denoted with an asterisk (*).
  ▹ L.A. City Council, District 4: David Ryu* vs. Nithia Raman
  ▹ L.A. City Council, District 10: Mark Ridley-Thomas* vs. Grace Yoo
  ▹ Irvine: Mayor and City Council
  ▹ Fullerton: City Council

• Pre-Registration

  California youth who pre-register to vote will have their registration become active once they turn 18 years old. Pre-registration does not change the voting age, which is 18. Instead, it allows eligible Californians ages 16 or 17 to complete the online voter registration form providing sufficient time and opportunity to get ready to vote. In order to pre-register to vote, one must be:

  • a U.S. citizen and a resident of California,
  • Not currently in state or federal prison or on parole for the conviction of a felony, and
  • Not currently found mentally incompetent to vote by a court.

  More information on the qualifications and voting rights may be found at this link.

  Pre-registration methods are the same as regular voter registration. Online pre-registration is available in both English and Korean. Paper forms may be picked up at your local county elections office, library, Department of Motor Vehicles office, or U.S. Post Office. High schools are also provided with applications to be made available to all students. To request a pre-registration application mailed to you, call your county election office or the office of the California Secretary of State at its toll-free voter hotline (800) 345-8683.

• Affidavit & Provisional Ballot

  A provisional ballot is a regular ballot that is placed in a special envelope prior to being put in the ballot box. It is available for the voters whose identification is not verified at a polling place. A provisional ballot may be offered to those who believe they are registered to vote even though their names are not on the official voter registration list at the polling place and those who applied to vote by mail but would like to cast a vote in person.

  Every voter who casts a provisional ballot has the right to find out from their county elections official if the ballot was counted and, if not, the reason why it was not counted. Visit this website for a list of county contacts and information on how to check the status of your provisional ballot.

• College Students & Voters Overseas

  Californians living away from home while attending a college, trade school or technical school, you may choose to register to vote using your home away from home address you use while at school or your traditional home address. Choosing which address to use when you register to vote is a personal decision. Whatever you decide, you may not register to vote in two places during the same election cycle.

  Californians living temporarily outside the U.S., whether a student or otherwise, may register to vote and apply to vote by mail using the Federal Post Card Application.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO REGISTER TO VOTE IN CALIFORNIA?

  You must be a United States citizen and 18 years old or older on the date of the election. You must be a legal resident of California (for information on voters in the military or overseas, please see Military and Overseas Voters). You must not currently be in state or federal prison or on parole for the conviction of a felony (for more information, please see Voting Rights: Persons with a Criminal History), and not currently found mentally incompetent to vote by a court (for more information, please see Voting Rights: Persons Subject to Conservatorship).

• How often do I need to register to vote?

  You are required to register to vote only once. However, if information like your name or address changes, you need to fill out the voter registration form again to keep your voter information up to date. Check your voter registration information at this link.

• Which party should I be affiliated with?

  KAGC does not endorse any party or candidate; as such KAGC does not guide anyone to vote for, or be affiliated with, any specific party. In most parts of the United States, the Republican Party and Democratic Party are two major political parties. Throughout U.S. history, 19 presidents have been Republican (including Presidents Lincoln, Reagan, Bush, and Trump) and 14 have been Democrats (including Presidents Franklin Roosevelt, Kennedy, Clinton, and Obama) You may find more information on their respective websites. When registering to vote in California, it is not mandatory for a voter to declare party affiliation.

• Am I limited to vote for the party I'm affiliated with?

  In California, voters may vote for any candidate of their choice for each position on the ballot in both the primary and general elections.

• What is this year's election about?

  On top of the ballot across the U.S. this year will be the candidates for U.S. President. In California, there are also candidates for U.S. House of Representatives, California State Senate, California General Assembly, as well as several local positions and statewide ballot measures. For more information, please see the section above on this page.

• What is my district? Who is running in my district?

  To find your congressional district, visit the U.S. House of Representatives website and enter your zip code in the search bar on the top right-hand corner of the main page. For information on your California legislative district, please visit the California State Legislature website. 

• Must I vote for each position on the ballot?

  Voters are not required to vote for every single position listed on the ballot. You may skip any position you do not support any candidate for, and you may also write-in a candidate of your choice not listed on the ballot. In the general election, voters may also vote for any candidate of preference regardless of party affiliations.

• What happens if I move?

  Every time there is a change in your address, whether in-state or out of state, you must update the information by filling out a voter registration form. Government agencies often mail election-related information to your address on file, which sometimes requires a prompt response. When a response is missing for a certain period of time, your voter registration may be considered inactive and is subject to elimination.

• I registered to vote a long time ago. What should I do now?

  Please visit this website to check your voter registration status, as well as the information on your voter registration. If your status is inactive, your information does not appear, or any of your information is inaccurate, please fill out the voter registration form and submit it by the deadline.

• Does voting lead to a mandatory jury duty?

  No. Voter registration and jury duty have no correlation with each other. Jury duty selection is made based on a different database than the voter roll.