Know Your Voting Rights

Every eligible voter has the right to participate in elections without facing discrimination or intimidation. By empowering individuals with knowledge about their rights, we seek to ensure that all voices are heard and that every vote counts, fostering a more inclusive and democratic electoral process.

Photo of Central Michigan University student at Voter Registration table
California Voter Bill of Rights                     

You have the following rights:

1. The right to vote if you are a registered voter.
You are eligible to vote if you are:

  • a U.S. citizen living in California
  • at least 18 years old
  • registered where you currently live
  • not currently in state or federal prison for the conviction of a felony

2. The right to vote if you are a registered voter even if your name is not on the list. You will vote using a provisional ballot. Your vote will be counted if elections officials determine that you are eligible to vote.

3. The right to vote if you are still in line when the polls close.

4. The right to cast a secret ballot without anyone bothering you or telling you how to vote.

5. The right to get a new ballot if you have made a mistake, if you have not already cast your ballot. You can:

  • Ask an elections official at a polling place for a new ballot; or
  • Exchange your vote-by-mail ballot for a new one at an elections office, or at your polling place; or
  • Vote using a provisional ballot, if you do not have your orginal vote-by-mail ballot.

6. The right to get help casting your ballot from anyone you choose, except from your employer or union representative.

7. The right to drop off your completed vote-by-mail ballot at any polling place in the county where you are registered to vote.

8. The right to get election materials in a language other than English if enough people in your voting precinct speak that language.

9. The right to ask questions to elections officials about election procedures and watch the election process. If the person you ask cannot answer your questions, they must send youto the right person for an answer. If you are disruptive, they can stop answering you.

10. The right to report any illigal or fraudulent election activity to an elections official or the Secretary of State’s office.

If you believe you have been denied any of these rights, call the Secretary of State’s confidential toll-free voter hotline at (800) 345-VOTE (8683).

Download your California Voter Bill of Rights from the Secretary of State in any of the following languages:

English
Spanish
Chinese
Hindi
Japanese
Khmer
Korean
Tagalog
Thai
Vietnamese
Watch the Video
YouTube video
California Voter Bill of Rights (English)
YouTube video
California Voter Bill of Rights (Spanish)
YouTube video
California Voter Bill of Rights (American Sign Language)
Reporting Problems: Help is a Phone Call Away

League of Women Voters of California
(888) 870-VOTE (8683)

Your County Elections Office
Contact your County Elections Office to get any voting problem resolved quickly.

The California Secretary of State
If you believe you have been denied any of your voting rights, or you are aware of any election fraud or misconduct, you can call the Secretary of State’s confidential toll-free Voter Hotline at (800) 345-VOTE (8683).

Election Protection
If you encounter any issues in casting your ballot, or feel like your rights were violated, visit the Election Protection website or call one of the hotlines below to get help resolving your dispute and reporting your claim.

English: 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)
Español/Spanish: 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682)

For voting information in English and Spanish, visit ¡Ve y Vota!

Disability Rights California operates a Voting Hotline to assist Voters with Disabilities 1-888-569-7955.

For more in-language assistance call:

Asian Americans Advancing Justice: 中文/Chinese, Tiếng Việt/Vietnamese, 한국어/Korean, বাংলা/Bengali, اُردُو/Urdu, हिंदी/Hindi, and Filipino/Tagalog: 888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683)

Arabic: 844-YALLA-US (844-925-5287)

Punjabi: (408)-320-7454

If you didn’t sign your ballot envelope, you will need to sign the envelope at your county elections office or submit a statement.

Learn more about how to fix a missing or mismatched signature on your vote-by-mail return envelope from the Secretary of State.

Know Your Voting Rights from the Asian Law Caucus

Check out Know Your Voting Rights Resources from the Asian Law Caucus. 

*VCA Counties: Alameda, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, El Dorado, Fresno, Humboldt, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Merced, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Placer, Riverside, Sacramento, San Benito, San Diego, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Tuolumne, Ventura, and Yolo

**Non-VCA Counties: Alpine, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Glenn, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Mono, Monterey, Plumas, San Bernardino, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, and Yuba

How To Vote
Language Access
Know Your Voting Rights from Disability Rights California

For information on voting rights for people with disabilities check Disability Rights California.

Disability Rights California operates a Voting Hotline to assist Voters with Disabilities. Please feel free to call for assistance: 1-888-569-7955.

What are my rights to access and vote at polling places?

State and federal laws require polling places to be physically accessible to voters with disabilities.

Access to the polling place

County elections officials inspect each site and often make temporary modifications to homes, libraries, churches, businesses, schools, or other facilities for Election Day.

Poll workers are trained on election laws and the rights of voters with disabilities, including the need to make reasonable modifications of policies and procedures to ensure equal access.

Before each election, every registered voter is notified whether their polling place is accessible. This notification appears on the Voter Information Guide mailed to each voter by their county.

Voting

The California Secretary of State has approved several voting systems for use that allow voters with disabilities to cast their votes privately and independently.

  • Each polling place must have one voting machine that allows voters, including those who are blind or visually impaired, to cast a ballot without assistance. The voting machine permits voters to verify their choices and, if there is an error, allows them to correct those choices before submitting their final ballot.
  • Poll workers must provide curbside voting for voters with disabilities who need this assistance.

Remote accessible vote-by-mail (RAVBM) systems provide an accessible option for voters with disabilities to receive their ballots at home and mark them independently and privately before sending them back to elections officials. Contact your County Elections Office for more information. You can also read more about remote accessible vote-by-mail on the Disability Rights California website.

To learn more about the rights of voters with mental disabilities, read this guide prepared by the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law.

Watch the Center for Independence’s video on Why You Should Vote.

Rights of People with Criminal Histories
What are my voting rights if I have a misdemeanor?

A misdemeanor conviction does not affect your right to vote at all. You can vote in all elections.

What are my voting rights if I have a felony?
If you have a felony conviction, you can vote IF you:
  • Are on probation, even if you are in county jail as a condition of your probation, or
  • You are serving a felony county jail sentence under realignment, or
  • Have completed your probation, or
  • Are awaiting a judge’s decision on a probation violation, or
  • Are on mandatory supervision, or
  • Are on post-release community supervision, or
  • Are on parole, or
  • Have completed your parole.
The only time you are not allowed to vote is IF you:
  • Have a felony conviction and you are still in state or federal prison, or
  • Are awaiting transfer to a state or federal prison.

Once you have completed your sentence, you can register to vote.

Can I vote when I am on parole?

Yes. California voters passed Proposition 17 (2020), which restored the right to vote to people on parole.

Can I vote on mandatory supervision?

Yes! You can vote at all times when you are on mandatory supervision.

Can I vote while I am on post-release community supervision?

Yes! You can vote at all times when you are on post-release community supervision.

Can I vote when I am on probation?

Yes! You can vote at all times when you are on probation, whether your conviction is a felony or a misdemeanor

Can I vote while I am in county jail?

Usually. You can vote IF you are in county jail:

  • Awaiting trial for any crime, or
  • For a misdemeanor conviction, or
  • Serving a felony county jail sentence under realignment
  • On a probation or parole violation, or
  • On felony probation.
The only time you lose the right to vote while in county jail is when you are currently serving a state or federal prison sentence and:
  • In jail awaiting transfer to a state or federal prison, or
  • Serving your state prison sentence in county jail because of a contract between CDCR and the county, or
  • Temporarily being housed in county jail while awaiting trial in another crime or attending a hearing in an active civil case.
How do I get back my right to vote?

In California, you do not need to do anything to “restore” your right to vote. It is automatically restored once you have completed your sentence. However, you must register or re-register to vote in an upcoming election.

For more information visit Let Me Vote.

Download and print Let Me Vote palm cards in English, Spanish, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Korean and Vietnamese.