Exercising Your Right to Vote

a citizen of the United States


eighteen years of age on or before the date of the election


a resident of California for 15 days by the day of the election


not in prison or on parole for the conviction of a felony


have not been judged by a court to be mentally incompetent to register to vote.


registered to vote

Voter registration is permanent, but you must reregister if you have moved, changed your name, or want to change your party affiliation.

You may register to vote by completing a registration-by-mail form. Forms are available throughout Los Angeles County at most County buildings, city halls, fire stations, libraries, State Deparment of Motor Vehicle (DMV) Offices, Public Assistance Offices (DPSS, WIC), Post Offices, and the office of the League of Women Voters. Fill out the form, sign and mail. Postage is free. The County Reigistrar of Voters will send you a card verifying your registration. Failure to vote in an election does not cancel your registration

You may request a registration form to be mailed to you by calling 562-266-1310 during business hours or the Voter Information number 800-481-VOTE (8683) twenty-four hours a day, seven days per week. The Registrar-Recorder office provides registration forms in six languages besides English, in compliance with federal and state laws. There is an online registration form you can download and mail on the Secretary of State's website: http://www.sos.ca.gov/nvrc/fedform/. The form is available in both Spanish and English. Mail the form to:

Los Angeles Municipal Elections (for city offices) take place every odd-numbered year in March and May.

The Primary Election is the first Tuesday following the first Monday in June every even-numbered years. This election is to nominate the candidates from each political party for the general election, which will be held in November of that year.

The General Election is the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November every even-numbered year.

Other items that may appear on the June and November ballots are ballot measures, bond acts, constitutional changes and propositions.

All registered voters will receive a sample ballot approximately three weeks before each election. This ballot shows the candidates and issues you will be voting on. The location of your polling place is shown on the back of the sample ballot pamphlet. Study and mark the sample ballot. Take it with you to the voting booth as a guide.

Any voter may apply for a mail-in ballot up to 7 days before the election. No special reason is required. The back cover of your Sample Ballot is a pre-addressed form to request a mailed ballot. A stamp is required.

You can also request to vote by mail online. Go to http://www.lavote.net and click on the yellow box entitled "Vote by Mail" on the top of the page. http://www.lavote.net/VOTER/Absentee_Voting.cfm

There is also an application for permanent vote by mail status on http://www.lavote.net but you can not apply online. You must download the form, fill and sign, and mail it to the County Registrar's office. You can also call or write to request permanent vote by mail status (See address above). Once you receive permanent vote by mail status you will automatically receive a ballot in the mail without re-applying each election. You will have permanent vote by mail staus until you fail to vote in two statewide general elections (4 years) or your request cancellation.

Your polling place is listed on the back of your Sample Ballot. It will also tell you whether or not the polling place is accesible to the disabled.

If you do not have your sample ballot, you can look your polling place up at the Smart Voter Website. or the Los Angeles County Registrar's Website .

If you need further information or direction to the Polling Place on election day, please call (800) 815-2666 or the number for the hearing impaired, (562) 462-2259. An automated system will prompt you to key in your ZIP code, date of birth, and street number. The system will interact with the voter registration database and obtain the Polling Place for the caller.

If you are interested in learning about election services available to assist persons with disabilities or senior citizens, please write to or call the Registrar-Recorder County Clerk at P.O. Box 1024, Norwalk, CA 90651-1024, telephone (562) 466-1323 or TDD (for the hearing impaired) (562) 463-2259