The California Chamber of Commerce is urging its members to register to vote for the November 8 General Election before the October 24 deadline.
An online link to register is available at www.calchambervotes.com. Voter registration information is available at the website of the Secretary of State.
The last day to register to vote for the November 8 election is October 24. To register to vote, you must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years of age, a resident of California, not in prison or on parole for the conviction of a felony and have not been judged by a court to be mentally incompetent to register and vote.
See CalChamber Positions on November Ballot measures
Sample Ballots
A sample ballot will be mailed to each voter who registers or re-registers at least 29 days before an election. Persons who register between 29 and 15 days before an election may be sent a sample ballot if there is time to process these last-minute registrations. If not, such registrants will receive a postcard confirming voter registration, which will also include a notice of their polling place location.
For all elections, extra sample ballots will be available at polling locations.
When to Re-Register to Vote
Voters need to re-register to vote when they:
- move to a new permanent residence;
- change their name; or
- change political party choice.
California voters should be aware that in some areas, local elections are held on dates that do not coincide with statewide election dates. The 15-day close of registration deadline for these local elections varies depending on the actual date of the election. A voter who needs to know a deadline for a local election, should contact the county elections office.
Polling Places
The location of a voter’s designated polling place is listed on the back of the Sample Ballot. Voters can also find their polling place on the Secretary of State website, or from their local elections official.
Voters can obtain a form to register to vote from most post offices, city offices and libraries by calling 1-800-345-VOTE, or online at www.sos.ca.gov.
Absentee Ballot
Any California voter may vote by mail. The last day to request a vote-by-mail ballot is November 1. A registered voter may request a ballot by using the application printed on the back of the sample ballot booklet.
The November 2012 general election set the all-time record for votes by mail with 6.7 million ballots cast.
County elections officials began mailing vote-by-mail ballots on October 10 (post offices were closed for a federal holiday). Ballots have already been mailed to military and overseas voters.
Vote-by-mail voters can cast their November 8 ballots through the mail, drop them off at any polling place within the voter’s county, or vote in person at county elections offices. Once county elections officials determine the signature on the vote-by-mail ballot return envelope matches the voter’s signature on his or her voter registration application, and the voter did not vote elsewhere in the same election, the ballot is counted. All valid vote-by-mail ballots are counted in every election, regardless of the outcome or closeness of any race.
Sharing Information with Employees
The CalChamber encourages employers to share information on the November ballot measures with their employees. Businesses are within their rights to do so — just remember, NO PAYCHECK STUFFERS, no coercion, no rewarding or punishing employees (or threatening to do so) for their political activities or beliefs.
For more guidelines on political communications to employees, see the brochure at www.calchamber.com/guidelines. Note the distinction between internal communications (to employees, stockholders and their families) and communications to external audiences (such as non-stockholder retirees, outside vendors, customers, passersby).
For voter registration information, see the website of the Secretary of State.
