Important Dates
- May 4, 2021- State Senate District General Election
- June 7, 2022- Statewide Direct Primary Election
Vote Early!
- Mail in your ballot ahead of time
- Drop off your ballot at a vote center
- Vote in person at a vote center
Election Resources Guide & SMC Events
Register to Vote
This page will allow you to register to vote by submitting an affidavit through the Secretary
of State's online voter registration system.
Rock the Vote – How to Vote by State
If you are registered as an independent or No Party Preference (NPP), you may request a cross-over party ballot to vote in the Presidential Primary for any of the following parties: Democratic Party, Libertarian Party, American Independent Party. (Republican Party is a closed Primary so independents or NPP's cannot vote in it at all.)
Conditional Voter Registration
Eligible Los Angeles County residents who miss an election's registration deadline can still vote at any Vote Center in L.A. County. Under California Election Law, Conditional Voter Registration (CVR) allows a prospective voter to conditionally register and cast a ballot.
Find out more: Conditional Voter Registration.
Registration Status
Don't remember if you're registered to vote? Need to check what name you're registered under or what political party you're registered with?
Check your registration status online at voterstatus.sos.ca.gov.
Track Your Ballot
All voters can get critical updates on their ballots through California's official "Where's My Ballot?" tracking tool. Signing up takes lass than 3 minutes!
What You Can Track
You can select to receive notifications on the status of your vote-by-mail ballot
by test (SMS), email, or voice call, including alerts if there are any issues with
your ballot and instructions for how to correct them to make sure your vote is counted.
Vote Center Locations
Find all LA County Vote Center Locations.
Student Opportunities
Requirements:
- At least 18 years of age or older
- If 17 years or younger, may participate in the High School Student Election Worker Program
- A resident of California
- US Citizen registered to vote or possessing legal permanent resident status (Green Card holder)
Serve as nonpartisan Election Protection volunteers
Anyone can sign up to help with one of the following efforts on Election Day and/or during the early vote period. It takes 2 minutes to sign up: fill out the form with your basic information, select your county, and then select from three volunteer options: (1) Poll Monitor, (2) Social Media Monitor, and (3) Textbanker.
Student Organizing and Activist Retreat (SOAR)
Sign up for the annual Student Organizing and Activist Retreat (SOAR). It’s a free three-hour training to learn how to plan an issue campaign, best organizing practices, action steps, media tips, and more. SOAR provides students the tools and resources to become better activists and advocates. Sign up Here
Non-Voter Resources
Are you an International Student or not eligible to vote? Here are other ways to participate:
- Be Curious. There’s a lot to learn about US politics and government. It can be overwhelming,
but luckily, there are a lot of great resources to understanding the basics of it
all. Look at reputable news sources and non-profit voter education sites (check out this BBC News article). You can also join the conversation – learn about other’s point of view.
- Fact Check. There’s a lot of information out there — some of it is great, some of it is questionable, and some of it is just plain incorrect. Make sure you’re getting news from a trusted,
reliable source. Watch out for bias or “spin.” Ask friends and professors who are familiar with the American media landscape to learn more about reliable sources. Consider using the fact-checking operations offered by trusted journalism sources including The Associated Press, Reuters and The Poynter Institute.
- Get Out the Vote! While you may not be able to vote, you can make sure those who can do. Although many of us are staying at home, we all lead busy live – it's easy to forget to plan to vote. Even though many of us are stuck at home, we all still have busy lives. This election affects everyone – encourage your friends, classmates, and neighbors to vote!
Resources
Students can drop off Vote by Mail ballots, cast ballots in person, request cross-over party ballots (Democratic Party, Libertarian Party, American Independent Party).
- Rock the Vote - Voter Registration
- Rock the Vote – How to Vote by State
- Voter Bill of Rights
- Voting in College – Know Your Rights
- LA County – Current and Upcoming Elections
- Voting Terminology Glossary
- How to Educate Yourself Before Election Day
- Voter's Edge - Get the facts before you vote
- Vote Smart - Educate Yourself on Important Issues and Candidates
- Secretary of State’s Students Vote Project.
- Secretary of State Elections Info
- Secretary of State’s Voter Information Guide
- Secretary of State's Statewide Voter Hotline at (800) 345-VOTE (8683)