What Is Conditional Voter Registration?

Published: 23 May, 2018
1 min read
Are you a California citizen? Did you miss the registration deadline to vote in the June primaries? Well, don't worry, because there is still a way you can cast a ballot in the primary elections.
California offers a new option called conditional voter registration.
What makes it conditional, you ask? Here is what you need to know:
- If you missed the May 21 voter registration deadline, you can go into your county's elections office between now and June 5, register to vote, and cast a ballot on the same day.
- The only way to vote this way is by doing it though your county's elections office or at a designated voter center if you reside in one of the 5 counties that have adopted the Voter's Choice Act (Madera, Napa, Nevada, Sacramento, and San Mateo).
- Voters who did not register before the May 21 deadline cannot vote in their local polling location or vote by mail. It is only through the elections office.
That is the basic rundown. You can get the full details on conditional voter registration on the secretary of state's website. You can also check your voter registration status here.
You Might Also Like
Ballrooms, Ballots, and a Three-Way Fight for New York
The latest Independent Voter Podcast episode takes listeners through the messy intersections of politics, reform, and public perception. Chad and Cara open with the irony of partisan outrage over trivial issues like a White House ballroom while overlooking the deeper dysfunctions in our democracy. From California to Maine, they unpack how the very words on a ballot can tilt entire elections and how both major parties manipulate language and process to maintain power....
30 Oct, 2025
-
1 min read
Princeton Gerrymandering Project Gives California Prop 50 an 'F'
The special election for California Prop 50 wraps up November 4 and recent polling shows the odds strongly favor its passage. The measure suspends the state’s independent congressional map for a legislative gerrymander that Princeton grades as one of the worst in the nation....
30 Oct, 2025
-
3 min read
5 Politicians Bucking Their Party on Gerrymandering
Across the country, both parties are weighing whether to redraw congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Texas, California, Missouri, North Carolina, Utah, Indiana, Colorado, Illinois, and Virginia are all in various stages of the action. Here are five politicians who have declined to support redistricting efforts promoted by their own parties....
31 Oct, 2025
-
4 min read


