Conducting a Voter Registration Drive in California

Training Requirement: California does not require training for registration drives. But local officials may provide training programs and other materials for free. The Secretary of State urges that all those conducting drives get trained on eligibility requirements and ways to accurately complete the registration form. Please also refer to the Secretary of State’s Guide to Voter Registration Drives (linked on page 2) and FAQs: sos.ca.gov/elections/frequently-asked-questions

SOS’s Guide to Voter Registration Drives: sos.ca.gov/elections/publications-and-resources/guide-vr-drives

Notification and Registration Requirements: Organizations or individuals requesting 50 or more blank state voter registration cards must submit a Voter Registration Card Statement of Distribution form by fax to (916) 653-3214 or by mail to Secretary of State, Elections Division, 1500 11th Street, 5th Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814. Find the form here: elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/vrdis.pdf

For requests of 50 or over county-specific voter registration cards, the applicant should use a similar “Statement of Distribution” form provided by the

specific county. For a list of county offices, see here: sos.ca.gov/elections/voting-resources/county-elections-offices

Compensation Restrictions: Organizations or individuals that compensate people to help others register to vote by receiving completed forms or assisting with submission of online voter registration applications must:

• Maintain a list of the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of everyone that the individual or organization has agreed to pay for helping register citizens to vote.

• Provide each person who is being compensated to help register citizens to vote with a written statement of that person’s responsibilities and liabilities under California law and keep for three years a written acknowledgement that the person received it. A sample statement can be found in Appendix B of the California Secretary of State’s Guide to Voter Registration Drives. Failure to comply is a misdemeanor.
• Only compensate individuals who sign in handwriting and place directly on each registration card their full name, telephone number, and address, and the name and telephone number of the person, company, or organization that agrees to pay those individuals.
• Submit all cards collected to the elections official, even if some cards do not contain all of the information required by Elections Code sections 2150 and 2159. When submitting the completed cards, place the cards that contain all of the required information into a group and attach a signed acknowledgement that the cards in the group are in compliance with Elections Code sections 2150 and 2159. If there are cards that do not contain all of the required information, place them into a group and attach a signed acknowledgment that the cards in the group are not in compliance with Elections Code sections 2150, 2159, or both.

Compliance with these statutes requires the following information to be included on completed registration cards:

• Name;
• Residence address;
• Mailing address, if different from residence address,
• Date of birth;
• State or country of birth;
• California driver’s license or ID card number;
• Last four social security number digits, if the applicant does not have a current and valid California driver’s license or California ID card;
• Political party;

• Completion of a prior registration portion indicating whether the applicant has been registered at another address, under another name, or as preferring another party and a listing of that prior address, name, or party;
• Signature of applicant;
• Signature of any person and who completes a portion of the application for the applicant including the date; and
• Signature, telephone number and address, and the name of the person, company, or organization, if any, that agrees to pay money or other valuable consideration for the completed affidavit of registration.

It must also include:

• they are not currently imprisoned or on parole for the conviction of a felony;
• a space that allows the individual to state race/ethnicity (regardless if it is filled out); and
• a space to permit them to apply for permanent vote by mail status.