If you missed yesterday’s deadline to register to vote, Secretary of State Alex Padilla has your back, even for some convicted criminals. “Conditional voter registration” allows U.S. citizens to fill out a voter registration card at a county election office and cast a ballot that same day, Padilla’s office announced in a press release today. After registration has been verified, the vote is then counted.
Padilla also clarified voting rights for people with prior criminal convictions, including Californians “subject to post-release community supervision or mandatory supervision under Realignment.” U.S. citizens over the age of 18 and not in jail or on probation for a felony, and who are not under court-ordered competency restrictions, can register to vote. The website RestoreYourVote.sos.ca.gov can walk you through the verification, and also links to a registration page. However, to register late, conditional voter registration can be accomplished at one of the county’s three elections offices, as well as the same-day casting of your vote.
In Santa Barbara County, elections office hours and locations are:
Santa Barbara — 4440 Calle Real, open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Lompoc — 401 East Cypress Avenue, Room 102, open 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m.
Santa Maria — 511 East Lakeside Parkway, Suite 134 (in the Betteravia Government Center), open 8 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m.
All election offices will be open 7 a.m.-8 p.m. on Election Day, November 6, to receive ballots. For more information, call (805) 568-2200 or (800) 722-8683, or go to the County Elections Office website.