All Registered Voters Can Vote in a Primary or General Election
To register to vote in California, you must be:
- A United States citizen and a resident of California,
- 18 years old or older on Election Day,
- Not currently serving a state or federal prison term for the conviction of a felony (for more information on the rights of people who have been incarcerated, please see the Secretary of State's 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).
Qualifications to Pre-register to Vote
To pre-register to vote in California, you must:
- Be 16 or 17 years old, and
- Meet all of the other eligibility requirements to vote.
You will automatically be registered to vote on your 18th birthday.
