This is it. This is what powers a democracy: the right of individual citizens to express their political voice through the ballot. Women and people of color have endured cruel absurdities and died for the right to register to vote. And still today – the deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 3 election — a powerful minority of rich people are trying to suppress registration and access to ballot boxes to maintain their privilege. But voter suppression is not only happening as part of a devious “Southern Strategy,” it is happening right now in California as billionaires lie and strive to deliberately confuse and dissuade the electorate from voting to protect themselves and their neighbors in the coming eviction apocalypse — on top of the COVID pandemic and the existing epidemic of homelessness.
“Homelessness is a humanitarian crisis. Many families are facing eviction. That’s why I’m supporting Prop 21. It prevents homelessness by keeping housing affordable. Keep families in their homes. Join the California Democratic Party. Vote yes on Prop 21,” says Los Angeles City Councilmember and former California Senate President Kevin de León in a Yes on 21 campaign video.
Prop 21 is the statewide ballot measure that puts limits on unfair, sky-high rent increases, reins in corporate landlord greed, and prevents homelessness. Top experts at USC, UCLA, and UC Berkeley agree that sensible rent limits are key for stabilizing California’s housing affordability crisis. That’s why the California Democratic Party, the ACLU, the California Nurses Association, the California Alliance for Retired Americans, Black Lives Matter and the Los Angeles Times, among many others, have thrown their full support behind Prop 21.
You can apply to register to vote right now by filling in the online application at the California Sec. of State’s website: The application is available in English, Español Spanish, 中文 Chinese, हिन्दी Hindi, 日本語 Japanese, ខ្មែរ Khmer, 한국어 Korean, Tagalog, ภาษาไทย Thai, Tiếng Việt Vietnamese.
The Sec. of State website says:
To register to vote in California, you must be:
- A United States citizen and a resident of California (for information on voters in the military or overseas, please see Military and Overseas Voters),
- 18 years old or older on Election Day,
- Not currently in state or federal prison or on parole for the conviction of a felony (for more information, please see Voting Rights: Persons with a Criminal History), and
- Not currently found mentally incompetent to vote by a court (for more information, please see Voting Rights: Persons Subject to Conservatorship).
To register online you need:
- Your California driver license or California identification card number,
- The last four digits of your social security number and
- Your date of birth.
Your information will be provided to the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to retrieve a copy of your DMV signature.
If you do not have a California driver license or California identification card, you can still use this form to apply to register to vote. However, you will need to take additional steps to complete your voter registration.
If you want to register using a paper voter registration application, you can pick one up at your county elections office, library, Department of Motor Vehicles offices, or U.S. post office. It is important that your voter registration application be filled out completely and be postmarked or hand-delivered to your county elections office by the end of today, Oct. 19.
The Sec. Of State website also directs you on How to Fill Out a California Voter Registration Card (PDF) in different languages and ASL.
IF YOU CANNOT REGISTER TODAY, you can do Same Day Voter Registration or Conditional Voter Registration. Go to Same Day Voter Registration for more information.
To find out if you are currently registered to vote, visit Check Status of Your Voter Registration.
ALSO IMPORTANT TO KNOW: Please do NOT use the online form to register or re-register to vote if you are enrolled in a confidential address program such as Safe at Home. If sharing your address could put you in life-threatening danger, you may be eligible to register to vote confidentially. For more information, contact the Safe at Home program at (877) 322-5227 or visit www.sos.ca.gov/registries/safe-home/.
For more information on voter registration and voting locations, contact your local county elections official. The L.A. County Recorder/Registrar’s office https://www.lavote.net/ also lists the location of the 400 county-owned secure ballot drop-off boxes.
Also check out Frequently Asked Questions or contact the Secretary of State’s Elections Division at (800) 345-VOTE (8683) or by email.
Suspect fraud? Call the Secretary of State’s Voter Hotline at (800) 345-VOTE (8683) or your county elections office.
