BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Since voter pre-registration began in 2016, more than 500,000 California teens have taken advantage of the program, according to the California Secretary of State.
California Secretary of State Alex Padilla shared the numbers on social media, tweeting:
NEW: More than 500,000 California 16- and 17-year-olds have now taken advantage of voter pre-registration since the program launched in fall 2016.
Breakdown of historical voter registration by county by party: https://t.co/atDV7mJzHx pic.twitter.com/jkcv4P3ZWZ
— CA SOS Vote (@CASOSvote) February 6, 2020
Breakdown of historical voter registration by county by party: https://t.co/atDV7mJzHx pic.twitter.com/jkcv4P3ZWZ— CA SOS Vote (@CASOSvote) February 6, 2020
- being a U.S. citizen and resident of California
- Not currently in state or federal prison or on parole for the conviction of a felony (for more information on the rights of people who have been incarcerated, please see the Secretary of State's Voting Rights: Persons with a Criminal History), and
- Not currently found mentally incompetent to vote by a court (for more information, please see Voting Rights: Persons Subject to Conservatorship).
Pre-registration does not change the voting age, which is 18. Instead, it allows eligible Californians ages 16 or 17 to complete the online voter registration form providing sufficient time and opportunity to get ready to vote.
In order to pre-register, teens can visit registertovote.ca.gov. California youth who pre-register to vote will have their registration become active once they turn 18 years old.
When they turn 18 years old, the county elections office will mail a confirmation postcard the teen stating that their voter registration is now active. At the time of the next election, county elections officials will automatically mail election related materials to the teen's registered address.
The California Secretary of State’s online application is available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese.
