Contact: Mark Church, Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
Alternate: Jim Irizarry, Asst. Chief Elections Officer & Asst. Assessor-Clerk-Recorder
(Redwood City, CA) Mark Church, Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder, announced today that the deadline to register to vote for the November 5, 2024 Presidential General Election is October 21, 2024. Voter registration forms sent by mail must be postmarked on or before that date.
You can register online at registertovote.ca.gov. To receive a ballot by mail for the November 5, 2024, Presidential General Election, online registration must be completed by 11:59 p.m. on October 21.
Voter registration forms are available at the following locations:
- Registration & Elections Division (40 Tower Road, San Mateo);
- Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder’s Office (555 County Center, Redwood City);
- Any of the County’s Vote Centers;
- City and Town Halls;
- Department of Motor Vehicles Offices;
- Post Offices; and
- Public Libraries.
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 currently serving a state or federal prison term for the conviction of a felony; and
- Not currently 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. Ballots have been mailed to anyone pre-registered if their 18th birthday is no later than November 5, 2024. If your eighteenth birthday falls on or before November 5, 2024, and you did not pre-register by October 21, 2024, you will need to go to a Vote Center for same-day registration and voting. All voters can confirm their current registration status online at www.smcvote.gov by clicking on the “My Election Info” button.
Conditional Voter Registration (CVR)
Voters who miss the October 21, 2024, voter registration deadline may “conditionally” register to vote and receive their ballot immediately at any Vote Center in San Mateo County. When a conditional ballot is cast, the Registration & Elections Division processes the registration, determines the individual’s eligibility, and validates the individual’s information. If the voter is eligible to vote in San Mateo County and has not voted elsewhere in the state, their registration becomes permanent, and the conditional ballot will be counted.
Voting Rights for Persons on Parole
In 2020, California voters passed a constitutional amendment to restore voting rights for individuals on parole for felony convictions. Whether or not the person was previously registered to vote, a new voter registration application must be completed once the person is released from custody.
Early Voting Period Begins October 7 to November 4, 2024
San Mateo County's registered voters were mailed their Vote by Mail ballots on October 7, 2024, in preparation for the Presidential General Election on November 5, 2024.
Three Vote Centers opened on October 7, 2024, with an additional seven scheduled to open on October 26. On November 2, 36 more Vote Centers will become available, followed by another three on November 4. By Election Day, a total of 49 Vote Centers will be accessible countywide.
For more information, voters should refer to their Sample Ballot or may call or text 650.312.5222, visit smcacre.gov, or follow us on X and Instagram @smcvote.