California Voter Service Guide: Early Voting Sites Open Statewide, Same-Day Registration Runs Through November 3
California's in-person early voting locations are now open statewide ahead of the November 3, 2026 general election. According to the California Secretary of State, in-person early voting locations throughout California opened on Saturday, October 31, following the first vote centers that opened October 24 in Voter's Choice Act counties; any voter can use the state's official locator to find early voting sites, ballot drop-off locations and voting hours: Find early voting and ballot drop-off locations (California Secretary of State)
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. Polls and vote centers are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and November 3 at 8:00 p.m. is also the deadline to vote in person or return a ballot.
Voters who missed the October 19 registration deadline can still take part. Under Same Day Voter Registration, eligible citizens may register and cast a conditional (provisional) ballot through Election Day at their county elections office or any in-person voting location in their county; the ballot is counted once the county verifies the registration. Details are on the Secretary of State's page: Same Day Voter Registration (California Secretary of State). Voters can check their registration status online through the Secretary of State's voter status tool: Check your voter registration status.
For vote-by-mail ballots, the Secretary of State recommends mailing a completed ballot at least seven days before Election Day — that window has now passed. Voters who have not yet mailed their ballot should instead return it in person at any voting location or deposit it in an official ballot drop box by 8:00 p.m. on November 3. A mailed ballot must be postmarked no later than Election Day and received by November 10 to be counted.
Key dates, deadlines and the official voter guide are available from the California Secretary of State: Key dates and deadlines for the November 3, 2026 general election; Official Voter Information Guide: dates to remember; and an overview of early voting options: Vote Early, California! (California Secretary of State).
Source: GSM · USA
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 位于Sacramento的加州州议会大厦，加州州务卿办公室所在地（资料图）。Radomianin摄，公共领域，经Wikimedia Commons。 / The California State Capitol in Sacramento, home to the California Secretary of State's office (file photo). Photo by Radomianin, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
