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DB12:059
May 17, 2012

Contact: Shannan Velayas
(916) 653-6575

Monday is Voter Registration
Deadline for California's June Primary

SACRAMENTO - Want to be a part of California’s first statewide top-two primary next month? May 21 is the last day to register to vote in the June 5 primary election.

"Filling out a voter registration form takes less than five minutes, yet every election cycle there are eligible Californians who bow out of participating in democracy. With the online tools on the Secretary of State website, registering to vote or verifying your existing registration are easier than ever," said Secretary of State Debra Bowen, California's chief elections official. "By registering to vote by Monday, you'll have a hand in choosing which candidates will move on to the November general election and whether some ballot measures become law."

Voter registration closes 15 days before each election in California. People can fill out the Secretary of State’s online voter registration form at www.sos.ca.gov/elections/register-to-vote then just print, sign and mail it. (The form is even pre-addressed to the registrant’s county elections office.) Californians can also pick up a voter registration form at any U.S. post office, public library or county elections office.

A person must re-register to vote after moving, changing names or changing political party preference. Voters can check if they are already registered to vote through a Secretary of State portal at www.sos.ca.gov/elections/registration-status.

People may register to vote in California if they are residents of California; United States citizens; at least 18 years old by Election Day; not in prison or county jail (serving a state prison sentence or a term of more than one year in jail for a defined “low-level” felony) or on parole, post-release community supervision or post-sentencing probation for a felony conviction; and not judged by a court to be mentally incompetent.

Once registered, any Californian may vote by mail. The last day to request a vote-by-mail ballot is May 29. A registered voter may request a ballot by using the application printed on the back of the sample ballot booklet mailed by the county elections office or the universal application available at www.sos.ca.gov/elections/vote-by-mail/pdf/fill-in-vote-by-mail-app-instruct.pdf.

For more information on registering to vote, visit www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_vr.htm. Keep up with the latest California election news and trivia by following @CASOSvote on Twitter. To sign up for ballot measure updates via email, RSS feed or Twitter, go to www.sos.ca.gov/multimedia.

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