Registering to Vote
How and where do I register to vote?
You can register to vote immediately at City Hall, 43200 Business Park Drive, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

You can register to vote on-line using the on-line registration form provided by the Secretary of State website. Note: you will need to allow enough time for the form to be mailed to you for your signature and then you must mail it back.

Who may register to vote?
A citizen of the United States, who is:
          A resident of California:
          A person not in prison or on parole for the conviction of a felony, and
          A person at least 18 years of age by the date of the next election.

When is it necessary to re-register?

         If you move.
         If you change your name (due to marriage or court order)
         If you wish to change your political party affiliation.

If you are registered in the County of Riverside, and have moved without updating your voter registration record, please call the Registrar of Voters Office immediately so that they may assist you in the necessary procedure for updating your record and provide you with instructions on where you will vote. For more information please call (951) 486-7200.

The county has many unique areas where mail is not delivered to the residence address and it is required that the individual have a post office box or separate mailing address.  If you are in such an area and change your residence address, you must re-register at the new residence address - even if your mailing address remains the same and you are still receiving election materials in the mail.  If you do not vote in the polling place assigned to your current residence, you may be casting an illegal ballot.

Where will I vote?
No later than two weeks before an election, you will receive a sample ballot pamphlet from the Registrar of Voters Office.  This pamphlet provides you with information on candidates and measures on which you will vote, and includes the polling place location on the back cover. Each voter should read the sample ballot carefully, poll locations may change from one election to another.  If you reside in an area that does not have a polling location, your sample ballot and official ballot will be mailed to you automatically and you will be voting in the privacy of your home.

You can call City Hall at 951-694-6444 to ask about your polling place if you have misplaced your sample ballot.

If you do not receive your sample ballot two weeks before the election, call the Registrar of Voters Office immediately to be sure you are correctly registered and to obtain the location of your polling place.

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Absentee Ballot Information
Anyone may choose to vote by mail. Absentee ballot requests must be received 7 days before an election. Voters may request an absentee ballot by any of the following 4 methods:

• Completing the request form on the back of their sample ballot and mailing it to the Registrar of Voters office.

• Complete the Absentee Voter ballot On-line application form. (See http://www.election.co.riverside.ca.us/absentee.asp)

• Complete the Absentee Voter ballot .pdf application form and mail it to the Registrar of Voters office. (To complete and print this form, you will need Adobe Acrobat, which you can download free from the Adobe site.)

• Mail a letter of application to:
  Registrar of Voters
  2724 Gateway Drive
  Riverside CA 92507

Your letter must state your name, residence address in Riverside County, the address to which the ballot is to be mailed (if different than your residence) and your signature. You may also fax your request to 951-486-7272.

Emergency Absentee Voting
If, during the final seven days before an election, a voter becomes ill, or disabled or, for any reason, finds that they will be away from the polls on election day, the voter may: (a) come into the Registrar of Voters Office and vote in person, or (b) request in a written statement, signed under penalty of perjury, that a ballot be delivered to him or her. This ballot shall be delivered by the elections official to any authorized representative of the voter who presents this written statement to the elections official. The voter shall mark the ballot, place it in the ID/Return envelope, fill out and sign the envelope and return the ballot, personally or through the authorized representative, to either the elections official or any polling place within the jurisdiction. If the ballot is returned by the authorized agent, that portion of the envelope must also be completed.