Research by Subject: Voting and Elections: Election Basics

General Resources on Voting and Elections

Election Protection Hotlines

1-866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)
1-888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682) (en Español)
1-888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683) (Asian multilingual assistance)
1-844-YALLA-US (844-925-5287) (Arabic)

Voter Registration & Election Day Resources

Can I Vote?
National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS). Created by state election officials with up-to-date national & state-by-state information. Sections: Voter Registration, Find Your Polling Place, Valid Forms of ID, Absentee & Early Voting, Overseas Voters, Election Official Directory, Become a Poll Worker
CIRCLE
Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (Tufts) provides info about voter registration numbers, barriers; oriented toward young people
Fair Elections Legal Network
Guides for voter registration drives in each state.
Federal Voting Assistance Project
Absentee voting assistance and verification for servicemembers & their families and overseas citizens. Plus, links to state/territory-specific election & legislative websites.
National Voter Registration Day
On September 17th, volunteers will conduct voter registration drives to ensure that voters don’t miss registration deadlines.
Overseas Vote
Nonpartisan voter services for U.S. citizens overseas and uniformed services members
U.S. Election Assistance Commission
Support and information for election administrators
U.S. Vote Foundation
Registration & information, FAQs by state and topic.
USA.gov Voting
Registration & information, Election Day resources, election laws, results, process, and history; State & local Election Offices; FAQs
VOTE411
League of Women Voters. Voter registration & voting info for 50 states, candidate info
VoteRiders
VoteRiders offers free assistance for any eligible voter who encounters barriers to securing their ID to vote, including financial and legal help obtaining underlying documents like birth certificates, change of name documentation, etc.

Find useful voter information including:

Local Election Office and Contact Information
Address, Telephone and Email for Local Election Offices
Upcoming Federal Election Dates and Deadlines
Upcoming State Election Dates and Deadlines
Eligibility Requirements
Identification Requirements
Voter Materials Transmission Options
State Lookup Tools – Am I Registered? Where’s my Ballot?

Population-Specific information and Resources

AARP Government and Elections
Information targeted at older voters; covers both federal and state elections
Advocates for Trans Equality
Voting Rights Information for transgender voters.
APIAVote (Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote)
A nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to engaging, educating, and empowering Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities to strengthen their voices and create impact.
Military Voters
Federal Voting Assistance Program. Voting assistance for Service members, their families and overseas citizens.
National Coalition on Black Civic Participation
National Homeless Coalition
You don't need a home to vote!
Native Vote
Resources for indigenous people in all 50 states
Resources for Voters with Disabilities
From the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.
Rock the Vote
Voter information and engagement resources targeted to the under-30 set, but excellent voter/voting info source for all ages.
State Criminal Re-enfranchisement Laws
A map of state felony disenfranchisement laws.
State Student Voting Guides
A voting guide aimed at students.
Study Abroad and Vote! Toolkit
This toolkit provides voter outreach promotional tools and information to American students studying abroad. U.S. students carry their right to vote when they go overseas! Free Overseas Voter Registration and Ballot Request Widget. Includes This toolkit provides voter outreach promotional tools and information to American students studying abroad. U.S. students carry their right to vote when they go overseas! Free Overseas Voter Registration and Ballot Request Widget. Includes a guide for Study Abroad program coordinators with suggestions for use of the toolkit materials.

Election Basics

Primaries vs. general elections

Primary elections are conducted to select each party’s candidates in the general election.
In California voters who have not stated a party preference (No Party Preference or NPP) will receive a “non-partisan” ballot that does not include presidential candidates. A nonpartisan ballot contains only the names of candidates for voter-nominated offices and local nonpartisan offices and measures. However, NPP voters may vote in a political party's partisan election if the political party authorizes it. An NPP voter may request the ballot of one of the political parties that authorizes them to vote in the presidential primary election.
- More information on NPP
In a general election, voters are not required to have a party affiliation.

Jurisdiction	Offices/Measures That May Appear on the Ballot
Federal (even years)	President/Vice-President (elected every four years; next election in 2024) Senator (elected every six years for staggered terms; next election in 2024) Representative (elected every two years)
State (even years)	Governor/Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, State Comptroller, Attorney General, Insurance Commissioner, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Board of Equalization Members (elected every four years; next election in 2026) State Senator (elected every two years) State Representative (elected every two years) Statewide ballot measures
Municipal (even or odd years)	Which positions are elected depends on county. Examples of offices/measures that may be on ballot include: School Board and other boards and commissions Mayor City Clerk City Attorney Treasurer-Tax Collector City Council Local ballot measures

Who are the candidates, and what else is on the ballot?

Voters can look up their sample ballot at the website of their county's elections office.
- County Elections Offices
California voter information guides

Important Dates

Primary Election Day is March 5, 2024.

General Election Day is November 5, 2024.

Dates of statewide elections can be found on the Secretary of State’s website

Dates of local elections can be found on the websites of each county’s elections office

Who conducts elections?

The California Secretary of State oversees statewide and local elections
County Elections Offices maintain voter rolls, prepares ballots and administers balloting for each county

Voter Bill of Rights

English (PDF)
Spanish (PDF)
Chinese (PDF)
Hindi (PDF)
Japanese (PDF)
Khmer (PDF)
Korean (PDF)
Tagalog (PDF)
Thai (PDF)
Vietnamese (PDF)
Arabic (PDF)
Armenian (PDF)
Bengali (PDF)
Burmese (PDF)
Gujarati (PDF)
Hmong (PDF)
Ilocano (PDF)
Indonesian (PDF)
Laotian (PDF)
Mien (PDF)
Mongolian (PDF)
Nepali (PDF)
Persian (PDF)
Punjabi (PDF)
Syriac (PDF)
Tamil (PDF)
Telugu (PDF)
Urdu (PDF)

Where to go with complaints about candidates or how elections are conducted

The California Secretary of State’s Investigative Services handles reports of Elections Code violations. The Enforcement Division of the Fair Political Practices Commission handles complaints about violations of the Political Reform Act. Voters can report election related misinformation at votesure@sos.ca.gov

Campaign finance

The Secretary of State’s Political Reform Division provides access to information about campaign contributions and spending, and lobbying activity through the CAL-ACCESS website.

How to contact your elected officials:

Find your elected officials.

Voting and Elections

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