There are state laws and judicial rulings that support the right of a person who is experiencing homelessness to register to vote. But that doesn't mean the process is easy to figure out. If you're unhoused and want to vote, this FAQ is intended to help address some of the most common challenges, such as:
- no access to a mailing address/way to get mail
- loss of identification documents required to register
- no outreach on dates and subjects of elections
- confusion about polling places
This FAQ is specifically for people who are experiencing homelessness. If you are not experiencing homelessness or don’t find your question or answer below, it may be covered in one of our other FAQs.
We also have a version of this information available in a flyer, which you can open and download here. Email us at engagement@scpr.org if you would like copies to distribute.
Registration
How do I register without a permanent address?
You don’t have to have a permanent address to register to vote.
When you register, you can list the nearest cross streets or use similar location details to describe the place where you are living. After that, you can vote at any polling station in the county in which you are registered to vote.
The deadline to register online to vote is Tuesday, Feb. 20. You can also register to vote in-person at any vote center, all the way through Election Day. It's called same-day voter registration. The same information about your location applies.
Can I register without identification?
You don’t need to have government-issued identification to register to vote.
If you do not have a government-issued identification card, you can register to vote with the last four digits of your Social Security number.
If you don’t know your Social Security number or you don’t have one, you can still register. Leave the box asking for your identification information blank, and your county elections official will assign a number to you that will be used to identify you as a voter.
If I didn’t register to vote before going to a polling station, can I still vote?
Yes, you can still vote if you didn’t register in advance.
More OC Voter Guides
How to evaluate judges
- O.C. Superior Court: There are just three seats that are competitive this primary.
Head to LAist's Orange County Voter Game Plan for guides to the rest of your ballot including:
- O.C. County Board of Supervisors: Two of the five seats are on the ballot.
- Huntington Beach measures: Voters will decide on three measures.
- Orange Unified recall: Voters in this district will decide the fate of two conservative board members.
- Prop. 1: Here's a closer look at the proposal at the center of a debate over how to best help people struggling with mental health, drug and alcohol issues.
California offers same-day voter registration. That means you can go to any vote center after they open in L.A. and Orange counties on Feb. 24 and register and vote at the same time.
If you did not register to vote in advance, you will vote with a provisional ballot. That means that your ballot will be counted after elections officials confirm the validity of your voter registration and ensure you haven’t already voted.
Provisional ballots are placed in pink envelopes, secured for processing and counted.
Provisional ballots have been used in California since 1984. According to the California Secretary of State, on average, 85% to 90% of provisional ballots were valid and counted in prior elections.
If you don’t have a government-issued identification card and don’t know your Social Security number or don’t have one, it may take longer to verify your ballot.
Vote-By-Mail
Can I vote by mail without an address?
If you do not list a mailing address on your voter registration, you will not receive a mail-in ballot and will have to vote in person at a polling station.
However, if there is a place where you can reliably receive mail, such as a P.O. Box or a friend's address, you can list that place as your mailing address. The voter registration form allows you to list a home address and indicate that you have a separate mailing address. (Your home address should reflect where you are living. You can list the nearest cross streets or give other descriptions.)
To update your mailing address, you’ll have to update your voter registration. The deadline for doing that is Feb. 20. After Feb. 20, which is the online registration deadline, you’ll need to re-register and vote in person. If you vote in a Voter’s Choice Act county (Los Angeles and Orange counties are both VCA counties), you can re-register and vote in person at any vote center in your county after they open on Saturday, Feb. 24.
If you have a mailing address on your registration but you haven't received a mail-in ballot, you can request a new mail-in ballot until Tuesday, Feb. 27.
You can return your mail-in ballot several ways:
- Mail it in by dropping it in any post office box, no postage required. Just make sure it's postmarked no later than March 5, 2024.
- Turn it in at a vote center or polling place in your county by 8 p.m. on March 5, 2024.
- Drop it in an official drop box in your county by 8 p.m. on March 5, 2024. Ballot drop-off locations open on Feb. 6, 2024. Avoid fake drop boxes. Here is what official drop boxes in L.A. County and Orange County look like.
- Designate another person to drop it off for you — as long as that person doesn't get paid to pick up ballots. There's a space on your ballot envelope to write the name of the person you've chosen to turn in your vote.
Be sure to sign your ballot with the signature that matches what the registrar has on file (probably your ID signature). Again, no worries about stamps! Postage is free for all mail-in ballots in the state of California.
Voting in person
How do I find the nearest polling station to vote in-person?
If you are registered to vote in Orange County, you can vote at any polling station in Orange County.
If you are registered to vote in L.A. County, you can vote at any polling station in the county. It’s OK if it’s a different city than the one you live in. You can find a list of polling locations here.
Polls open for early voting in L.A. and Orange counties on Saturday, Feb 24.
If you’re not sure where to go to cast a vote, you can call the Orange County Registrar at (888) 628-6837
Spread the Vote will also help voters get to polling locations in certain areas. Go to spreadthevote.org to find out more about assistance getting to a polling location.
If you are an organization hosting a mobile vote center to serve unhoused voters and want to be listed here, email us at engagement@scpr.org.
Can I bring my pet or belongings to a vote center?
Service animals are allowed in vote centers, but other types of pets are typically not.
What do I do if a poll worker tries to turn me away?
Poll workers aren’t allowed to discriminate against people experiencing homelessness or keep them from casting a vote.
If you run into issues, you should ask to speak to the person in charge of the vote center. If they don't help you, call the California Secretary of State's voter hotline at (800) 345-VOTE (8683) for English or (800) 345-VOTA (8682) for Spanish.
How do I figure out who to vote for?
One of the biggest barriers to voting, regardless of whether you are housed or unhoused, is the same: getting the information you need to make a decision.
First, you can explore our full Voter Game Plan to help you figure it all out. In addition, two local nonprofits publish their own voter guides: Keep an eye out for guides from California Calls, an alliance of community organizations that takes input from organizations working on the ground with unhoused people, and Spread the Vote, which provides nonpartisan descriptions of candidates, what the job is, and what your rights are as a voter.
These guides can be found at shelters and other nonprofits as Election Day draws closer. And finally, you can always call your county elections office with any questions. A full list of California elections offices is available here.
What races could have the biggest impact on homelessness?
The Orange County Board of Supervisors oversee the main funding for homeless services and shelters in the county, including which nonprofit groups do much of this work and to what extent they’re held accountable for services. Additionally, the supervisors play a major role in how much — or how little — homelessness funding the county seeks in state and federal grants for things like converting motels into permanent supportive housing.
How can I get a printout of this information?
We also have a version of this information available in a flyer, which you can open and download here. Email us at engagement@scpr.org if you would like copies to distribute.
Additional resources
- The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness' step-by-step voting guide for people experiencing homelessness
- The National Coalition for the Homeless' "Know your Voting Rights Guide for People Experiencing Homelessness"
Who do I contact if I still have voter registration questions?
The California Secretary of State has a voting hotline that you can call: (800) 345-VOTE, or you can reach out via email: elections@sos.ca.gov.
You can contact your local county elections office.
You can also ask us via the form below, and our Voter Game Plan team will do our best to get you an answer.
Note: Nick Gerda contributed to this report, as did Ethan Ward, who previously covered unhoused communities for LAist.
More Voter Guides
- Orange County Board of Supervisors: The winners of Districts 1 and 3 will join a five-member board that oversees a county of about 3 million residents with an annual budget of about $9 billion.
- Orange County Superior Court judges: There are three competitive races for the bench.
Head to LAist's OC Voter Game Plan for guides to the rest of your ballot including:
- Measure D: Evaluating the initiative that asks Irvine voters to expand the city council and redistribute its powers.
- Huntington Beach Measures A, B and C: A closer look at a trio of measures aiming to reshape Surf City.
- Orange Unified: Two board members face recall
- Orange County Board of Education: Three of five seats are up for grabs
- Orange County State Assembly: Meet the candidates vying for these nine seats
- Orange County State Senate: A look at the key races on the ballot
- Prop. 1: Here's a closer look at the proposal at the center of a debate over how to best help people struggling with mental health, drug and alcohol issues.
- U.S. Congress: A look at the Southern California races
- U.S. Senate: Who will replace the late Dianne Feinstein?
