How Long To Register To Vote In California

If you aren't registered to vote by Monday night, you'll have no say on the gas tax, daylight savings time, the governorship or Congress.

LOS ANGELES, CA — Monday is the deadline to register to vote in California, and here are just some of the ways the Nov 6. Election will affect you: it will determine whether you have to change your clocks twice a year and set your alarm earlier, how much you pay at the gas pump and whether or not your city can enact rent control. It's also going to determine which party controls the U. S. House of Representatives, and that could mean impeachment for President Donald Trump or an end to Obamacare. Either way, California voters will have a major say in the matter because this year, the Golden State holds the key to the House.

You can register to vote here before the Monday deadline at 11:59:59 p.m. — it only takes a minute. If you aren't sure if you're registered at your current address, you can check the status of your voter registration here.

With about two weeks left until election day, polls are showing remarkably fluid races up and down the state. While some such as Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom have seen their leads harden in these final days, other races have broken surprisingly wide open, including San Diego's 50th District, where incumbent Duncan Hunter, indicted for allegedly misappropriated campaign funds, is suddenly vulnerable.
Heading into the final stretch, here's a look at the latest polls in the some of California's most competitive Congressional races:

45th Congressional District

Republican Rep. Mimi Walters is in the political fight of her career. Polls have her neck-and-neck in a district that has never before sent a Democrat to Washington. And yet, Katie Porter, a Democrat and a UC Irvine law professor running an outright progressive campaign, has been jockeying for the lead in the race. Walters voted for the Obamacare repeal and the tax overhaul, which many vulnerable Republicans in California had to vote against because it raises taxes for many homeowners in their districts. At the time, Walters' seat seemed safe. A Public Opinion Strategies poll released Thursday put Walters four points on top of Porter but only after weeks of Porter leading in the polls by as much as 5 percent. At this point, the race is a tossup.

50th Congressional District

At the start of the year, there seemed little reason to think the popular Republican incumbent Duncan Hunter would have to fear a serious challenge from the left in the solidly conservative district. Then in August, Hunter and his wife were indicted on wire fraud, falsifying records, campaign finance violations and conspiracy for allegedly using campaign donations to fund a wild and lavish lifestyle. Even those charges appeared to have little impact on his polling early on, but lately Democratic rival Ammar Campa-Najjar has surged. An Oct. 4 UC Berkeley poll has Hunter at 49 percent to Campa-Najjar's 47 percent, and a Tulchin Research poll has them virtually tied.

10th Congressional District

The Northern San Joaquin Valley district represented by Republican Jeff Denham may flip to the Democrats come Nov. 6. Challenger Josh Harder is leading the latest UC Berkeley poll, but most experts rate the race a toss up.

48th Congressional District

Another longtime Orange County Republican in the political fight of his life is Dana Rohrabacher. After decades without facing a serious challenge, he is now tied with Democratic rival businessman Harley Rouda. The polling gurus at FiveThiryEight give Rouda a 66 percent chance of winning, but that belies how close the polls really are. An Oct. 4 UC Berkeley poll has the pair tied at 48 percent apiece.

39th Congressional District

The third Orange County District in danger of flipping from red to blue is that of retiring Congressman Ed Royce. And Oct. 19 Siena College/New York Times poll gives lottery-winning philanthropist Gil Cisneros (D) a ten percent lead on Republican Young Kim, Royce's aid and protege.

49th Congressional District

Northern San Diego's 49th was held for decades by Republican Rep. Darrell Issa. As he retires, the district is heavily favored to go blue. Democrat Mike Levin is leading his Republican opponent Diane L. Harkey by more than 10 percent, according to a UC Berkeley poll. FiveThirtyEight gives Levin a 94 percent chance of winning.

25th Congressional District

The last Republican district covering any part of Los Angeles sits at the Northern edge of the city and includes portions of LA and Ventura counties. But demographics have been steadily shifting against Republican incumbent Steve Knight. His Democratic challenger Katie Hill holds a 4 percent lead over him, according to Oct. UC Berkeley poll.