Voter Registration

Who May Register to Vote
You may register to vote if you meet the following criteria:

• You are a United States citizen
• You are a resident of California
• You are at least 18 years of age (or will be by the date of the next election)
• You are not in prison or on parole for conviction of a felony
• You have not been judged by a court to be mentally incompetent to register and vote

1. Download and Mail a Voter Registration Form (ENGLISH | ESPANOL)
The National Mail Voter Registration Form can be used to register to vote, report a change of name, report a change of address or register with a political party. For more information about registering to vote, contact our office.  
The national form also contains voter registration rules and regulations for each state and territory. Check the national form update page for recent updates.

Please download and complete the form by clicking the link above. Please remember to sign it and MAIL it DIRECTLY to our office SAN BENITO COUNTY REGISTRAR OF VOTERS, 440 Fifth Street - Room 206, Hollister, CA 95023.

2. Overseas Voter Registration and vote-by-mail Voting
If you are a US citizen and are going to be overseas or if you are in the military and wish to vote vote-by-mail, there are special provisions for you to register and receive an overseas vote-by-mail ballot. To do this you may need to complete a "Federal Post Card Registration and vote-by-mail Ballot Request," and mail it to our office SAN BENITO COUNTY REGISTRAR OF VOTERS, 440 Fifth Street - Room 206, Hollister, CA 95023.

Overseas vote-by-mail Ballot (Federal Post Card and vote-by-mail Ballot Request,)
click here

Many times, overseas military voters, their overseas spouses and dependents, and other registered voters residing abroad have a difficult time obtaining, voting, and returning their ballots by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. Pursuant to a new law, effective January 1, 2004, a request for an vote-by-mail ballot from an overseas voter will be regarded and processed as a request for permanent vote-by-mail status. (Ch. 347, Stats. 2003.) In addition, this same new law states that voters no longer have to re-apply for permanent vote-by-mail voter status if they fail to vote in a statewide primary election. These voters will retain their permanent vote-by-mail voter (PAV) status and will be automatically sent an vote-by-mail ballot to vote in the next general election. However, a permanent vote-by-mail voter must vote in the next general election or the voter will lose his or her PAV status.

Please note: There are special requirements for new citizens and new California residents. For further information regarding these requirements, please contact our office. There are also special provisions for new citizens and new residents within California. For further information about these alternatives contact our office.

When to Re-Register to Vote
You will need to re-register to vote when:

• You move
• You change your name
• You change your political party affiliation

As a California voter, you should be aware that there are ongoing local elections throughout the state. The 15-day close of registration deadline for these local elections varies depending on the actual date of the election. If you need to know a deadline for a local election, you will need to contact our office to confirm the deadline. You can acquire a voter registration form either at our office, library, or U.S. Post Office. It is important that the completed voter registration form has a 15-day deadline postmark on it. It is not the Secretary of State's Office desire to disenfranchise anyone from the voting process.

The Deadline to Register to Vote
In California, the deadline to register to vote for an election is 15 days before each local and statewide election day, so please register early! Click here for more information on California's 15-day close of registration.)