Register to Vote

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

Pre-Registration

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 or 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 before 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. P.O. Boxes and private mailboxes (PMBs) are not considered a domicile.

No Street Address?

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 Street and Court St."

College Student?

As a Californian living away from home while attending college, trade school or technical school, you may choose to register using your traditional home address or your "home-away-from-home" address while at school. Choosing which address to use when registering to vote is a personal decision. Whatever you decide, you may not register to vote in two places during the same election.

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

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. By becoming a confidential voter, all of the voter's information is kept private and is not available to others for any purposes

There are three methods in which all information in a voter's record is declared confidential. All require voter action to qualify. County elections offices do not have the authority to grant confidential voter status.

"Safe at Home" Address Confidentiality Program

To register as a confidential voter, voters may present certification that they are a participant in the Safe at Home address confidentiality program administered by the California Secretary of State. This program is also known as the "Address Confidentiality for Victims of Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Program." This also includes employees, providers, and others associated with reproductive healthcare facilities. Executive Order N-80-20 now makes the program available to Local Health Officers and other public health officials. For more information about eligibility in the program, please go to the Secretary of State's Safe At Home webpage.

Public Safety Officers

The Yolo County Board of Supervisors approved the option for Public Safety Officers to register as confidential voters. Status as a confidential voter under this provision must be renewed every two years. Under State law, a Public Safety Officer may apply through the Yolo County Elections Office. For more information, please contact the elections office at 530-666-8133 or email Elections. Public Safety Officers are defined as:

• A peace officer or a person who may exercise the power of arrest during the course of their employment.
• An attorney employed by the Department of Justice, the State Public Defender, or a county office of the district attorney or public defender, the U.S. Attorney, or the Federal Public Defender
• A city attorney or an attorney who represents cities in criminal matters.
• An employee of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation who supervises inmates or is required to have a prisoner in his or her care or custody
• State and federal judges and court commissioners.

Court-Ordered

Upon order of a superior court, a voter may apply for confidential voter registration status. The voter must file with the superior court and show good cause that a life-threatening circumstance exists to the voter or a member of the voter's household. For more information, please contact the elections office at 530-666-8133 or email Elections.

The voter registration deadline for any election is 15 days prior to Election Day. If you miss the registration deadline, you may register and vote under Conditional Voter Registration, also called same-day registration.

Missed the Deadline to Register to Vote

If you missed the deadline to register to vote, you can still vote under Conditional Voter Registration (CVR).

• CVR extends the existing 15-day registration deadline to eligible voters, allowing them to register and vote 14 days prior to an election until the close of polls on Election Day.
• CVR allows voters to update their address, change their political party, receive and vote a ballot.
• The voter must appear in person at a voting location to register and vote under CVR. 
• Voters unable to appear in person due to status as active duty members of the military, living overseas or due to a disability, please email the Elections Office or call 530-666-8133.

Conditional Voter Registration at the Yolo County Elections Office & Vote Centers

What's the process?

• You will be asked to register to vote at the voting location by providing your information at the check-in table. Yolo County uses an electronic roster of voters (ePollbook).
• Your information will be placed on the Conditional Voter Registration (CVR) envelope. The voter must sign the CVR envelope to register and have the CVR ballot counted.
• Next, you will be issued a ballot that you must vote at the voting location. The ballot issued contains no unique markings and is identical to the ballot you would have been issued if you had registered on time.
• Vote your ballot and place it in your CVR envelope. Seal the envelope. Don't forget to sign your envelope!
• Once your eligibility to cast a ballot is verified, your ballot will be counted.

Please call the Elections Office at 530-666-8133 or visit the Secretary of State website for more information.

New citizens who are at least 18 years old are eligible to register and vote after participating in a Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) ceremony. Citizens 16 and 17 years old are eligible to pre-register to vote; these registrants will have their registrations held until they become eligible to vote.

At the Swearing-in Ceremony

You should receive a voter registration card upon becoming a citizen. Complete this form and mail it in. This must be done at least 15 days before the next election. You will receive a card notifying you of your eligibility to vote within a few weeks after your registration is processed.

Becoming a Citizen After the Registration Deadline

If you become a citizen after the close of registration, which is 15 days before an election, you may still register and vote by coming to the Yolo County Elections Office between the 14th day before Election Day and until the close of polls on Election Day. You must bring your naturalization papers with you.

The Elections Office is located at 625 Court Street, Suite B05, Woodland, 95695.

For more information, visit the California Secretary of State's publication called "A New Citizen's Guide to Voting (PDF)."

Post Offices

• Davis - 2020 Fifth Street, Davis
• West Sacramento - 1601 Merkley Avenue, West Sacramento
• Winters - 510 Railroad Avenue, Winters
• Woodland - 720 Court Street, Woodland

Department of Motor Vehicles

• Davis - 505 Pole Line Road
• Woodland - 825 East Street

Libraries

• Davis - 315 East 14th Street, Davis
• Winters - 708 Railroad Avenue, Winters
• West Sacramento - 1212 Merkley Avenue, West Sacramento
• Woodland - 250 First Street, Woodland

City Clerk's Offices

• Davis - 23 Russell Boulevard, Davis
• West Sacramento - 1110 West Capitol Avenue, West Sacramento
• Winters - 318 First Street, Winters
• Woodland - 300 First Street, Woodland

Yolo County Elections Office

625 Court Street, Suite B-05, Woodland

Request for Voter Registration Cards for a Registration Drive

Yolo County Elections encourages interested citizens and civic groups to assist us in properly registering voters. The rules regarding voter registration drives are on the Secretary of State's website.

You must pick up the paper voter registration forms (affidavits of registration) at the Yolo County Elections Office at 625 Court Street, Woodland, 95695. We will provide you with the Yolo County Voter Registration Statement of Distribution and a Notice of Legal Requirements.

You may download the Statement of Distribution Form (PDF) prior to coming to the Elections Office.