Contact: Mark Church, Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
Alternate: Jim Irizarry, Assistant Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
(Redwood City, CA) The deadline to register is October 19, 2020, for the November 3, 2020 Presidential General Election. Voter registration forms sent by mail must be postmarked on or before October 19.
Register online at registertovote.ca.gov/.
Voter registration forms are available at the following locations:
- Public Libraries*
- City and Town Halls*
- Post Offices
- Department of Motor Vehicles Offices
- Any of the County’s Vote Centers
- Registration & Elections Division
*Note: Due to COVID-19, some locations may not be open; check before visiting.
To be eligible to register to vote, a person must be:
- A U.S. citizen and a resident of California
- At least 18 years old by Election Day
- Not in prison or on parole for a felony conviction
- Not deemed by a court to be mentally incompetent to register to vote
If you are 16 or 17 years old, you can pre-register to vote. Persons who are pre-registered will automatically become a registered voter on their eighteenth birthday. If your eighteenth birthday falls in between October 27 and November 3, though you are automatically registered, you will need to go to a Vote Center for a ballot because you will have missed the ballot mailing deadline.
Voters can confirm their current registration status online at www.smcvote.org by selecting the “My Election Info” button. The latest county registration statistics, updated biweekly, are available under “Voter Registration.”
A full list of Vote Center locations can be found online at www.smcvote.org and clicking “All Vote Center Locations” or at www.smcacre.org/vote-center-locations.
Conditional Voter Registration (CVR)
Voters who miss the October 19, 2020 voter registration deadline may “conditionally” register to vote and immediately receive their ballot at any county Vote Center. When a conditional ballot is cast, the Registration & Elections Division processes the registration, determines the individual’s eligibility to register, and validates the individual’s information. If the voter was indeed eligible to vote in San Mateo County, the registration becomes permanent, and the conditional ballot will be counted.
November 3, 2020 Presidential General Election - COVID-19 Prepared
All Vote Centers comply with San Mateo County Health Department and CDC COVID-19 safety standards. Voters are expected to wear masks and adhere to all social distancing requirements. For more information on the November 3, 2020 Presidential General Election, please call 650.312.5222, visit www.smcvote.org or follow us on Twitter and Instagram @smcvote.
The Registration & Elections Division also offers a toll-free hotline, 888.SMC.VOTE (888.762.8683), to assist voters in any language.