Register to Vote

Everything you need to know about voter registration, including links to online registration, eligibility, voter registration updates, and using a paper voter registration form to register and vote.

Register and Be a Voter

California Online Voter Registration

California maintains a statewide voter registration database. Eligible voters may register online by clicking here. The signature on file with the DMV will be used as your voter registration signature, unless you print, sign and mail your voter registration application. Please keep in mind that vote-by-mail ballots are verified against the signature in the voter registration record. 

Secretary of State - Register to Vote Secretario de Estado - Registrarse para votar

登記投票 유권자등록

Not sure about registering to vote online? Watch this Video - How to register online using "CALIFORNIA ONLINE VOTER REGISTRATION" - includes ASL

Paper Voter Registration Forms

You may call or email Yolo County Elections to request a voter registration form. We will mail it directly to you. You can also pick up a registration form in person at the Elections Office or many locations throughout the county. List of locations to pick up a voter registration form. To pick up bulk quantities of voter registration cards, please contact us at (530) 666-8133 or [email protected].

Eligibility

To register to vote in California, you must be:

  • A United States Citizen
  • A resident of California
  • 18 years or older on Election Day
  • Not currently serving a state or federal prison term for the conviction of a felony
  • Not currently found mentally incompetent to vote by a court of law

To pre-register to vote in California, you must:

  • Be 16 or 17 years old
  • Meet all the other eligibility requirements. 

Pre-registered voters will be automatically registered to vote on their 18th birthday. A pre-registered voter should update their registration information if, upon turning 18, the voter has moved, changed their name, political party, mailing address, or signature. Some voters who registered at 16 or 17 years old have significant changes to their signature prior to their first election. 

About Addresses

You must register to vote at the address where you live. You may have any mailing address you wish.

Your residence address entitles you to vote in a particular city, school district, special district, and state and federal legislative districts. PO Boxes and private mailboxes (PMBs) are not considered a domicile.

If you are unsheltered or homeless, you only need a description of where you live. If you do not have a street address, provide an exact description, including cross streets. If applicable, identify the corner or area where you live. For instance: "Northwest corner of 1st St and Court St."

When to Re-Register

You must re-register to vote when you:

  • change your name (or if you would like it to match your driver's license)
  • change your address
  • want to change your political party affiliation
  • want to update your signature

Confidential Voter Registration

The voter registration file is not available to the general public; however, certain information is available to qualified applicants for political, election-specific, journalistic, scholarly, or governmental purposes. This is how campaigns get mailing lists and academics get data for research.

By becoming a confidential voter, all of the voter's information is kept private and is not available to others for any purposes. Voters who are in one of three categories may participate in confidential registration; however, the voter must take action to qualify. For details, please see our "Confidential Voter" webpage.

Learn More

For more information about the rights of people who have been incarcerated, please see the Secretary of State's "Voting Rights: Persons with Criminal History" webpage.

For more information about the rights of people who have been found mentally incompetent to vote, please see the Secretary of State's "Voting Rights: Persons Subject to Conservatorship" website.

For more information about becoming a citizen, please see the US Citizenship and Immigration Services' "Learn About Citizenship" webpage.