General Election voter registration deadline Oct. 24

Voter registration

Oct. 24 is the deadline to register to vote for the California General Election on Nov. 8. The best way to register, according to the Humboldt County Office of Elections, is via an online application at registertovote.ca.gov 

For individuals who miss the deadline, HCOE recommends to conditionally register to vote at the county’s local election office or at a polling place on election day. A conditional vote means that the information provided on the ballot must be confirmed by staff before it is processed and counted.

According to the HCOE, all registered voters will receive mail-in ballots to the address they have on record. To cast their ballot, voters can bring mail-in ballots to in person to a polling location, drop it off at a designated ballot drop off box, or mail it to the county’s election office.

Absentee Ballot

Students who are interested in voting on their home county’s ballot but are currently living in Humboldt County can sign up for an absentee ballot, which allows you to vote by mail. As long as you are a registered California voter, you are allowed to request an absentee ballot. 

According to the U.S. Vote Foundation, the deadline to request an absentee ballot is Nov. 1. To request an absentee ballot visit vote.org/absentee-ballot/california/. The deadline to return an absentee ballot is November 8. 

Ballot submission

According the the California Secretary of State’s website, there are different ways you can submit both your regular and absentee ballot:

1. Mail it to your county’s election office, it must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received no later than 7 days after Election Day.
2. Drop it off at any polling station within the state between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Election Day.
3. Drop it off at a designated drop off location or ballot  drop box within the state; must be done any time before 8:00 on Election Day.
4. You can authorize someone you trust to return your ballot on your behalf; this can be done by filling out the authorization section on the outside of your ballot envelope.

For more information visit the Humboldt County Office of Elections website at humboldtgov.org/890/Elections-Voter-Registration or call 707-445-7481. Voters can track their submitted ballots at california.ballottrax.net/voter/.