How ROV Works: Where does my voter registration information go?

When you register to vote in San Diego County, your voter registration information, which includes your name, residential and mailing address, and political party preference, is entered into a local voter registration database.

In this database, voter registration records are classified into four voter categories:

Active Records

  • Active voters are registered voters and are eligible to vote.
  • They are included in mailing lists for all election materials for every election in which the voter is eligible to vote.
  • These records are included in the Roster of Voters that is available at the assigned polling place on Election Day.
  • Election materials may include sample ballot and voter information guides, official mail ballots, and voter notification cards, among others.

Inactive Records

  • Under state law, our office places voters on inactive status when:
    • mail is returned from the voter's address indicating the voter may have moved outside California, or there is no reason indicating why it was returned;
    • postal data indicating the voter may have moved outside California.
  • Inactive voters are mailed a forwardable confirmation card.
  • Inactive voters are registered voters and are eligible to vote; however, they do not receive election-related mail.
  • These voters are not reflected in turnout tallies or signature-gathering requirements and are not part of voter lists obtained by campaigns.
  • The inactive voter list serves as a safety net for people who may have moved and are otherwise eligible to vote.
  • Inactive voters (who have not moved) may restore their active voter status by simply voting in an election, signing a petition or contacting our office directly to confirm their address.
  • Under certain circumstances, inactive voters may be removed from the voter registration list if they do not confirm or update their registration, and if they do not vote in two consecutive federal elections after they are made inactive.

Pending Records

  • Typically, pending voter records are a result of the ROV not receiving all the necessary information to register the voter. This may include a valid address or signature. These residents are not officially registered to vote.
  • We attempt to contact residents to let them know if they have left out some required registration information. When they respond with the correct information, we can move their name to Active Record list and notify them they are officially registered to vote.
  • Pending voter records are not included in any mailing lists for election materials and are not included in the Roster of Voters at the polling site.

Cancelled Records

  • This category consists of voter records where the registration information is no longer valid.
  • Voter records are cancelled because we receive official information confirming that the voter is no longer eligible to vote in San Diego County.
  • Cancelled voter records are not included in any mailing lists for election materials and are not included in the Roster of Voters.

Learn more about how the ROV keeps voter records up to date »

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