Oct. 19 Is the Last Day to Register in California, Pennsylvania and Michigan; Early Voting Opens in Texas

Monday, Oct. 19, 2026 is the last day to register to vote in California and Pennsylvania for the Nov. 3 general election, and the last day to register online or by mail in Michigan. The same day, early in-person voting opens in Texas and Connecticut. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Deadlines that fall on Monday

State	Deadline on Oct. 19	After Oct. 19
California	Online, or mail postmarked by Oct. 19	Conditional registration at the county elections office through Election Day
Pennsylvania	Online until 11:59 p.m.; mail or in person received by close of business	None; no same-day registration
Michigan	Online, or mail postmarked by Oct. 19	In person at your local clerk with proof of residency, Oct. 20 through Nov. 3

California sets its deadline 15 days before every election, the Secretary of State’s office says. Pennsylvania’s Department of State says online applications are accepted until 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 19, while paper applications must reach the county by the end of the business day. Michigan’s Department of State says that from Oct. 20 until Election Day, new registrations must be made in person at a local clerk’s office with proof of residency, and voters in line by 8 p.m. on Election Day can still register.

Early voting opens Monday in two states

State	Early voting	Hours and notes
Texas	Monday, Oct. 19 to Friday, Oct. 30	Vote at any early voting location in your county of registration; applications for a mail ballot must be received by Friday, Oct. 23
Connecticut	Monday, Oct. 19 to Sunday, Nov. 1	10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, extended to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27 and Thursday, Oct. 29; same-day registration available at early voting sites

Texas’s registration deadline for this election was Monday, Oct. 5. On Oct. 16 the Texas Secretary of State reported a record 19,041,684 registered voters ahead of the election. Connecticut’s regular registration deadline was Friday, Oct. 16, but the state’s early voting locations also offer same-day registration, according to the Secretary of the State’s office.

Other dates before Nov. 3

Date	What happens
Monday, Oct. 19	Registration deadline in California, Pennsylvania and (online or mail) Michigan; early voting opens in Texas and Connecticut
Friday, Oct. 23	Texas: last day for the early voting clerk to receive a mail ballot application
Tuesday, Oct. 27	Pennsylvania: mail ballot applications due by 5 p.m.; Connecticut extended early voting hours
Friday, Oct. 30	Texas: last day of early voting
Sunday, Nov. 1	Connecticut: last day of early voting; U.S. clocks go back one hour at 2 a.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 3	Election Day; Pennsylvania mail ballots must be received by 8 p.m.

Polls in Pennsylvania and Michigan are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day; Connecticut’s polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The clocks change two days before the election. Our daylight saving time report explains the Nov. 1 switch.

How to check your own state

Deadlines differ by state, and some states allow same-day registration while others close weeks earlier. Vote.gov, run by the federal government, links to each state’s official registration page and lists its deadline. Your state or county election office is the final word on dates, hours and polling places.

A short checklist

• Confirm you are registered, and that your address is current, on your state’s election website.
• If you plan to vote early, note your county’s early voting locations and hours.
• If you vote by mail, check your state’s deadline for applying and for returning the ballot; they are not the same date.
• Write Nov. 3 on your calendar, along with any early voting day you plan to use.