Eligible 16- and 17-year-old Californians can pre-register to vote in order to be automatically registered when they turn 18. All of the following criteria must be met for eligibility:

  • 16 or 17 years old.
  • A U.S. citizen and a California resident.
  • Not currently in state or federal prison, or on parole for a felony conviction.
  • Not found to be mentally incompetent by a court.

There are three options to pre-register:

  • Online at registertovote.ca.gov.
  • By paper; paper applications are available at county elections offices, DMV offices, many public libraries, post offices, and government offices. Have an application mailed to you by calling (800) 345-VOTE.
  • In person at the DMV.

The report “Path to the Polls: Building a More Inclusive Democracy by Preregistering California’s Youth,” released by CALPIRG Education Fund, NALEO Educational Fund, and Frontier Group, offers best practices for the preregistration of 16- and 17-year-olds.