Actually registering and then voting by mail is surprisingly easy to do. IMB
This following is a digest of information from the Official California Secretary of State voters FAQ's web page which is linked here...
http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_faq.htm
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
California Voter Registration:
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can register to vote?
In order to register to vote, a person must:
* Be a citizen of the United States;
* Be a resident of California;
* Be at least 18 years of age as of the day of the next election;
* Not be in prison or on parole for the conviction of a felony;and
* Not be deemed by an appropriate court to be mentally incompetent.
How do I register to vote?
To register to vote you must obtain and complete a voter registration form.
Voter registration forms can be obtained by:
* Downloading a voter registration form and mailing it to your county elections official.
This is the link for a voters registration form from the Secretary of States office.
[B]https://www.sos.ca.gov/nvrc/fedform/[/B] ;
or
* Calling your county elections official and requesting a form;
[Please see the following ICMAG post for your local elections office link's.
IMB ]
or
* Calling the toll-free voter registration hot-line at (800) 345-VOTE and requesting a form.
What is the deadline to register to vote?
The deadline to register to vote is 15 days prior to each local and statewide Election Day.
To be eligible to vote in the November 2, 2010, Statewide General Election, you must register to vote by October 18, 2010.
I have just moved. Am I required to re-register?
Your voter registration should always reflect your current residence. However, if you have moved from your home into a temporary residence that you do not intend to use as your permanent residence, you can continue to use your prior permanent residence where you were previously registered to vote as your address for the purpose of voting.
I did not vote in the last election. Do I need to re-register?
In general, you are registered to vote for as long as you remain at the same address. However, if you have not voted in the last several elections, you may be sent a request to confirm that you have not moved.
Do I have to be registered to vote in order to register other voters?
No, you do not need to be a registered voter in order to register other people to vote.
I registered at the Department of Motor Vehicles, but my county elections office says I'm not registered. What can I do?
Contact your county elections official and provide them with any documentation you may have to help establish when and where you registered. In many cases your county elections official may be able to verify the potential registration through the Department of Motor Vehicles.
I sent in my voter registration form a month ago and I still don't know where to vote. Did you receive my registration card?
To inquire about your voter registration status, you must call your county elections official. Each county designates the polling place for each voter and mails a sample ballot to each voter telling them where to vote on Election Day.
Where do I send my voter registration form after I fill it out?
If you have downloaded a voter registration form from the Secretary of State's web page, it will be pre-addressed to go to your county elections official for quicker processing.
Statewide forms are sent to the Secretary of State's office, which in turn must forward them to the appropriate county elections official.
This is the link for a voters registration form from Secretary of States office.
https://www.sos.ca.gov/nvrc/fedform/
Do I have to be deputized to register people to vote?
No, you do not have to be deputized to register people to vote.
How many voter registration affidavits can I get if I want to register people in my community?
There is no limit to the number of voter registration affidavits a person may obtain. However, depending on the number of cards the Secretary of State or a county elections official has on hand and the volume of requests they are receiving, the Secretary of State and county elections officials may ask a requester to take fewer cards than they asked for and to return later should they need additional cards. The Secretary of State does require the requester to complete a Voter Registration Card Statement of Distribution form and a county elections official may require a person who requests cards from their office to do something similar.
How can a person prove his or her citizenship?
California Elections Code section 2111 permits a person to prove they are a citizen who is eligible to register to vote by signing the affidavit of registration under penalty of perjury.
Why is the Department of Motor Vehicles involved in voter registration?
The National Voter Registration Act of 1993, also known as the Motor Voter law, permits people conducting business at a DMV office to register to vote or update their voter registration information.
How can I vote a vote-by-mail ballot?
Any registered voter may vote by a "vote-by-mail" ballot by:
* Applying in writing to your county elections official; or
* Completing the vote-by-mail ballot application that is included in your sample ballot, which your county elections official will mail to you prior to each election; or
* Downloading and completing a vote-by-mail ballot application from the Secretary of State's website.
[ or applying online from your local county elections office... please see the following post below for your county elections office contact information including link's. IMB ]
When may I apply for a vote-by-mail ballot?
You must apply for a vote-by-mail ballot at least 7 days before an election.
When is the last day to return my voted vote-by-mail ballot?
Vote-by-mail ballots must be received by the elections official no later than the close of polls at 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.
How do I turn in my vote-by-mail ballot on Election Day?
You may return it in person to any polling place in your county or to the county elections office on Election Day. If, because of illness or physical disability, you are unable to return the ballot yourself, you may designate a spouse, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, or a person residing in the same household to return the ballot to the elections official or the precinct board at any polling place within the jurisdiction. The ballot must be received by the elections official or the precinct board before the close of the polls at 8:00 p.m. on Election Day in order to be counted.
Can anyone distribute vote-by-mail ballot applications?
People and organizations may distribute vote-by-mail ballot applications, provided they use the uniform format specified in the California Elections Code and submit a Vote-By-Mail Voting application form.
Where is my polling place?
Your polling place location will be printed on the sample ballot you receive from your county elections official prior to an election. You may also contact your local county elections office for polling place information.
What hours are polling place locations open?
All polling place locations are open on Election Day from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
once again:
This information is from the official California Secretary of State voters FAQ's link
http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_faq.htm
IMB
This following is a digest of information from the Official California Secretary of State voters FAQ's web page which is linked here...
http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_faq.htm
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
California Voter Registration:
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can register to vote?
In order to register to vote, a person must:
* Be a citizen of the United States;
* Be a resident of California;
* Be at least 18 years of age as of the day of the next election;
* Not be in prison or on parole for the conviction of a felony;and
* Not be deemed by an appropriate court to be mentally incompetent.
How do I register to vote?
To register to vote you must obtain and complete a voter registration form.
Voter registration forms can be obtained by:
* Downloading a voter registration form and mailing it to your county elections official.
This is the link for a voters registration form from the Secretary of States office.
[B]https://www.sos.ca.gov/nvrc/fedform/[/B] ;
or
* Calling your county elections official and requesting a form;
[Please see the following ICMAG post for your local elections office link's.
IMB ]
or
* Calling the toll-free voter registration hot-line at (800) 345-VOTE and requesting a form.
What is the deadline to register to vote?
The deadline to register to vote is 15 days prior to each local and statewide Election Day.
To be eligible to vote in the November 2, 2010, Statewide General Election, you must register to vote by October 18, 2010.
I have just moved. Am I required to re-register?
Your voter registration should always reflect your current residence. However, if you have moved from your home into a temporary residence that you do not intend to use as your permanent residence, you can continue to use your prior permanent residence where you were previously registered to vote as your address for the purpose of voting.
I did not vote in the last election. Do I need to re-register?
In general, you are registered to vote for as long as you remain at the same address. However, if you have not voted in the last several elections, you may be sent a request to confirm that you have not moved.
Do I have to be registered to vote in order to register other voters?
No, you do not need to be a registered voter in order to register other people to vote.
I registered at the Department of Motor Vehicles, but my county elections office says I'm not registered. What can I do?
Contact your county elections official and provide them with any documentation you may have to help establish when and where you registered. In many cases your county elections official may be able to verify the potential registration through the Department of Motor Vehicles.
I sent in my voter registration form a month ago and I still don't know where to vote. Did you receive my registration card?
To inquire about your voter registration status, you must call your county elections official. Each county designates the polling place for each voter and mails a sample ballot to each voter telling them where to vote on Election Day.
Where do I send my voter registration form after I fill it out?
If you have downloaded a voter registration form from the Secretary of State's web page, it will be pre-addressed to go to your county elections official for quicker processing.
Statewide forms are sent to the Secretary of State's office, which in turn must forward them to the appropriate county elections official.
This is the link for a voters registration form from Secretary of States office.
https://www.sos.ca.gov/nvrc/fedform/
Do I have to be deputized to register people to vote?
No, you do not have to be deputized to register people to vote.
How many voter registration affidavits can I get if I want to register people in my community?
There is no limit to the number of voter registration affidavits a person may obtain. However, depending on the number of cards the Secretary of State or a county elections official has on hand and the volume of requests they are receiving, the Secretary of State and county elections officials may ask a requester to take fewer cards than they asked for and to return later should they need additional cards. The Secretary of State does require the requester to complete a Voter Registration Card Statement of Distribution form and a county elections official may require a person who requests cards from their office to do something similar.
How can a person prove his or her citizenship?
California Elections Code section 2111 permits a person to prove they are a citizen who is eligible to register to vote by signing the affidavit of registration under penalty of perjury.
Why is the Department of Motor Vehicles involved in voter registration?
The National Voter Registration Act of 1993, also known as the Motor Voter law, permits people conducting business at a DMV office to register to vote or update their voter registration information.
How can I vote a vote-by-mail ballot?
Any registered voter may vote by a "vote-by-mail" ballot by:
* Applying in writing to your county elections official; or
* Completing the vote-by-mail ballot application that is included in your sample ballot, which your county elections official will mail to you prior to each election; or
* Downloading and completing a vote-by-mail ballot application from the Secretary of State's website.
[ or applying online from your local county elections office... please see the following post below for your county elections office contact information including link's. IMB ]
When may I apply for a vote-by-mail ballot?
You must apply for a vote-by-mail ballot at least 7 days before an election.
When is the last day to return my voted vote-by-mail ballot?
Vote-by-mail ballots must be received by the elections official no later than the close of polls at 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.
How do I turn in my vote-by-mail ballot on Election Day?
You may return it in person to any polling place in your county or to the county elections office on Election Day. If, because of illness or physical disability, you are unable to return the ballot yourself, you may designate a spouse, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, or a person residing in the same household to return the ballot to the elections official or the precinct board at any polling place within the jurisdiction. The ballot must be received by the elections official or the precinct board before the close of the polls at 8:00 p.m. on Election Day in order to be counted.
Can anyone distribute vote-by-mail ballot applications?
People and organizations may distribute vote-by-mail ballot applications, provided they use the uniform format specified in the California Elections Code and submit a Vote-By-Mail Voting application form.
Where is my polling place?
Your polling place location will be printed on the sample ballot you receive from your county elections official prior to an election. You may also contact your local county elections office for polling place information.
What hours are polling place locations open?
All polling place locations are open on Election Day from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
once again:
This information is from the official California Secretary of State voters FAQ's link
http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_faq.htm
IMB
Last edited: