Secretary of State Shirley Weber says Californians have multiple ways to vote in the Nov. 3 election and should not let fears about immigration enforcement, intimidation or misinformation keep them from casting a ballot.
As California voters begin receiving ballots for the Nov. 3 general election, Secretary of State Shirley Weber has a simple message: Make a plan and vote early.
That message may carry particular weight for naturalized citizens worried about immigration enforcement or intimidation at polling places.
At an Oct. 8 American Community Media briefing, Weber was asked what she would tell naturalized citizens who are afraid that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents could be present when they go to vote.
For voters who are uncomfortable going to a polling place, Weber pointed to another option: official ballot drop boxes.
“If you have any kind of fear at all,” Weber said, voters can use secure ballot drop boxes in their communities rather than enter a polling location.
California gives voters several ways to cast their ballots. Every active registered voter is mailed a vote-by-mail ballot. Ballots can be returned by mail, placed in an official drop box or delivered to a polling place, vote center or county elections office.
The state began mailing ballots by Oct. 5. The regular voter registration deadline is Oct. 19, but Californians who miss it can still use same-day registration through Election Day. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 3.
Weber urged voters not to wait until Election Day if they do not have to.
“We say to you, vote,” she said. “You have various ways and the most convenient way that you feel that provides you the greatest level of safety and input, use that method.”
The Oct. 19 deadline does not mean someone who forgets to register loses the ability to vote.
From Oct. 20 through Election Day, eligible Californians can conditionally register and cast a provisional ballot at designated voting locations or county elections offices. Election officials verify the voter’s eligibility before the ballot is counted.
“You are not too late,” Weber said of people who miss the deadline. “You can still register the day of the election.”
California voters must be U.S. citizens, California residents and at least 18 by Election Day. People with prior felony convictions can also vote as long as they are not currently serving a state or federal prison term for a felony. People on parole or probation are eligible to register and vote.
For new citizens and first-time voters, Weber said knowing those rules can help prevent confusion from becoming a reason not to participate.
Questions at the briefing repeatedly returned to voter intimidation and misinformation.
Weber said voters who experience harassment or interference at a polling location should alert election workers or contact the Secretary of State’s voter hotline.
“Don’t feel that you have to tolerate the intimidation and the attacks by others,” she said.
California’s Voter Bill of Rights guarantees voters the right to cast a secret ballot without being bothered or told how to vote. Voters can also report suspected illegal or fraudulent election activity to election officials or the Secretary of State.
Weber also pushed back on claims of widespread election fraud in California, saying her office investigates allegations but has not found evidence of widespread fraud.
Her advice to voters encountering questionable claims was to check information with election officials rather than relying on social media or rumors.
“We always have some misinformation,” Weber said, pointing to false claims about election dates as one example her office has encountered.
Language should not prevent someone from understanding how to vote.
California provides statewide voter information and assistance in English and nine other languages: Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Tagalog, Thai and Vietnamese. Counties may offer additional languages depending on their populations.
Voters who need language assistance can also contact one of the Secretary of State’s multilingual voter hotlines. Voting locations offer services including voter registration, replacement ballots, accessible voting machines and language assistance.
Voters who mail their ballots should make sure they are postmarked no later than Nov. 3. Ballots can also be returned to an official drop box or voting location by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Californians can sign up for the state’s “Where’s My Ballot?” service to receive text, email or phone updates showing when their ballot is received and counted.
For Weber, voting rights are also personal.
California’s first Black secretary of state, Weber was born to sharecroppers in Arkansas during the Jim Crow era. Her father did not have the opportunity to vote until his 30s, and her grandfather never voted before his death.
She invoked that history while urging voters, particularly younger people who feel disconnected from politics, not to give up their political voice.
“If they choose not to use their power,” Weber said, “then somebody else will use it for them.”
Her closing advice was even more direct.
“Do not let anyone keep you from voting.”
