How To Register To Vote Same-Day In CA: The Polls Close At 8 p.m.

CALIFORNIA — While the traditional registration deadline has passed, California voters can register conditionally on Election Day until 8 p.m. at any vote center or polling place. So if you haven't registered to vote, don't sweat it, all you need to do is head to the polls — and don't forget your mask.

Same Day Voter Registration, otherwise called conditional voting, is a safeguard for Golden State residents who missed the Oct. 19 deadline to register to vote or receive a ballot in the mail. This state law also affords Californians the ability to update their information, such as their party preference or the county they live in.

Citizens registering to vote on Election Day will be asked to fill out a voter registration form and then will be provided a ballot. Those who are unsure of their voter registration status can quickly check it here.

Visit this link for a list of vote centers to complete the same-day voter registration process.

These conditional ballots are then processed and counted once county elections officials have completed the voter registration verification process.

Eligible citizens who needed to register or re-register to vote were able to begin doing so in person two weeks ago at their county elections office or any vote center that opened over the weekend.

In accordance with urgent legislation pushed through by Gov. Gavin Newsom due to the pandemic, polling places were thinned to one "vote center" per 10,000 residents from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 for 8 hours and on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

As of Monday, 555,504 Californians had already visited a vote center to cast a ballot, and more than 11,669,230 ballots had been received by mail, according to the California Secretary of State Alex Padilla's office.

And the latest statistics from Padilla's office reveal that there are more registered Golden State voters than any other year in history — about 2.6 million more voters than in the 2016 presidential election and the highest percentage of eligible voters in the past 80 years, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.

This number could very well skyrocket after 8 p.m. Tuesday, depending how many people show up to register to vote in person on Election Day.

“As the polls open, voter registration is at an all-time high in California...” Padilla said in a statement Monday. “If you still need to cast your ballot, make a plan before heading to the polls. With record voter registration and excitement around the Presidential Election, wait times will likely be longer than normal."

SEE ALSO: Counting Votes On Election Day: What To Expect In California

Padilla added that voters will have a right to cast their ballot on Election Day as long as they are in line by 8 p.m. Tuesday night.

Voters are also encouraged to show up with a proper face covering to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in potentially long spiraling lines at vote centers. Those who show up without a mask will be offered one, but no one will be turned away for refusing to wear one. Instead, they may have to vote outside or at a separate booth.

READ MORE: Maskless Voters In CA Will Not Be Turned Away On Election Day

Voters are also encouraged to call a toll free voter hotline to ask election-related questions, file complaints or to confidentially report potential election fraud or voter intimidation.

Dial 800-345-8683 for English, 800-232-8682 for español and 800-339-2857 for Chinese.

Need to register on Election Day? Use the California Secretary of State's vote center lookup tool to find your local voting location.

Have any specific questions about locations where you can complete the Same Day Voter Registration process? Contact your local county elections office.

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This article originally appeared on the Across California Patch