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.
Make It Make Sense: Election 2024 Edition
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 Monday, Oct. 21. 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.
California offers same-day voter registration. That means you can go to any vote center after they open in L.A. and Orange counties 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.
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City of Los Angeles
- City Council: Vote for districts 2, 10 and 14.
- Charter Amendment ER: A package of ethics reforms designed to fight corruption at City Hall. Plus: Charter Amendments DD, FF, HH and II.
L.A. County
- Board of Supervisors: Measure G would dramatically overhaul county government.
- District Attorney: Criminal justice reform, or more law-and-order justice?
- LA Unified school board: Voters are also deciding on a $9 billion facilities bond and a redistricting measure.
- School district measures: Schools have a lot of repair needs.
- Superior Court judges: Plus: Tips to make sure you're putting right person on the bench.
Statewide races
- Whoa! There are 10 propositions on the ballot. Here's your cheat sheet to Props. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36.
Jump to the full Voter Game Plan for dozens more races ▶
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 Oct. 21. After Oct. 21, 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, Oct. 26.
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, Oct. 29.
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 Nov. 5, 2024.
- Turn it in at a vote center or polling place in your county by 8 p.m. on Nov. 5, 2024.
- Drop it in an official drop box in your county by 8 p.m. on Nov. 5, 2024. Ballot drop-off locations open on Oct. 8, 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 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.
If you are registered to vote in Orange County, you can vote at any polling station in Orange County.
Polls open for early voting in L.A. and Orange counties on Saturday, Oct. 26. The following organization works with people experiencing homelessness and will also serve as a vote centers:
L.A. Family Housing: Winn Community Room at 7843 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood
Note: Street parking around the campus is 2 hours. Enter through the lobby located on Lankershim Blvd.
- Early voting: Oct. 26, 2024 to Nov. 4, 2024 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Election Day: Nov. 5, 2024 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
If you're looking for more guidance, the Los Angeles Community Action Network urges you to reach out to one of these organizations so they can connect you to the information you need to cast a vote:
- Downtown Women’s Center: Call 213-680-0600
- LA CAN: Call 213-228-0024 or email them at contact@cangress.org
- Spread the Vote: Go to spreadthevote.org
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 know of an organization interested in becoming a mobile voting center, it can register on the registrar's website.
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?
City Council members decide how much emergency and supportive housing can be in their district. They also decide whether or not to enforce Ordinance 41.18, the law that prohibits anyone from camping within 500 feet of a school, public library, or public park.
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors appoints half the commission that governs the LAHSA, the main agency in charge of homelessness services for L.A. County.
Additional resources for voters experiencing homelessness
- 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: Ethan Ward, who previously covered unhoused communities for LAist, contributed to this report.
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