Voter Resources

As important as voting is, it should be noted as a caveat that there are certain legal restrictions currently in place which prevent some people from taking part in the process. While the majority of adults (18 years or older on Election Day) can register to vote, the State of California also imposes the requirements that voters must be:

• A United States citizen and a resident of California
• 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

California Secretary of State. "Who Can Vote in California." Accessed August 29, 2024. https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting-resources/voting-california/who-can-vote-california.

Registering to vote in California also requires you to have and provide one of three things: your driver's license number, your state ID number, or your Social Security number. The "Online Resources" box to the left can help direct you toward where to register based on your current address and whether you meet all the requirements above. While the majority of students at CSUB and our satellite campus in Antelope Valley will likely be residents of Kern or Los Angeles Counties, we recognize that some of you may be residents of another state who have temporarily transferred here to attend college.

If California is not your state of residence, then Vote.org can help direct you to where you can request an absentee ballot to vote in your own state's election. (Absentee ballots can also be used by anyone who will be traveling or living abroad during an election, including people who are serving in the military.)

California is fortunately one of the most straightforward states to vote in: the entire registration process can be completed online, with no need to mail any paper forms, as long as you do so by a certain deadline (15 days prior to an election; registration after this deadline must be done in-person at your county elections office).

After this, a voter's guide and sample ballot will be sent to you, followed by the actual official ballot, which you can fill out at home at your leisure and then send back via mail, deposit in your nearest ballot box, or bring to your nearest polling place on Election Day. Ballots sent in the mail must be postmarked by no later than Election Day and received by your county elections office no later than seven days after Election Day.

Other Voting Tips

• If you are experiencing homelessness at the time of an election, California law allows for you to use any valid address (not a PO box or business address) as your designated residence for voting purposes, such as a park, a shelter, or a vacant street corner. You can use a PO box as your mailing address to receive your voting materials, including your guide and ballot, but not as your residential address.
• For students living in CSUB Student Housing who are Kern County residents: note that, since a university is considered a business address, you cannot register your dorm as a residential address. You may receive voting materials in the mail here, but for registration purposes, you may wish to designate a nearby friend's or family member's house as your residential address.
• Finally, per the instructions on your ballot, make sure to completely fill in every circle for your choices and sign the back of the envelope. Congratulations on taking part in an election!