Countdown till the vote:

Days

Hours

Minutes

Seconds

Our Vote Decides the Future of Care in California

Every year, the people we elect make decisions that affect the lives of care workers and the families we serve. They decide whether our wages keep pace, whether our benefits hold, and whether our communities receive the quality care and support they depend on. From home care providers supporting more than 800,000 seniors and people with disabilities to family child care providers helping children learn and thrive, our work strengthens California. This election, we decide who will stand with us and invest in care.

Be Ready

Key Dates

OCT 5^th

Your ballots are on the way. It's election season.

OCT 6^th

Secure ballot drop-off locations open statewide.

OCT 19^th

Last day to register register online or by mail for the general election.

OCT 31^st

Early in-person voting opens statewide.

NOV 3^rd

Election Day

Show up. Be counted.

Make it Count

Drop It Off,
Don't Mail It In

New ballot counting laws mean drop-off is the surest way to make your vote count this year. Skip the mail and bring your ballot to a secure drop-off site instead or vote in person on Election Day.

Ballot Propositions

What’s on the Ballot for Care Workers

Here’s where UDW stands on twelve propositions that matter most to care workers, the people we care for, and our families. This isn’t the full ballot, so check your county’s voter guide.

Vote Yes Prop 1:

Boosts Affordable Housing Funding

Funds affordable housing for veterans and California families.

Vote Yes Prop 2:

Strengthens California’s Rainy Day Fund

Strengthens state budget reserves so essential services survive downturns.

Vote Yes Prop 3:

Protects IHSS and Child Care Funding

Keeps taxes on top earners in place to protect IHSS and child care funding.

Vote Yes Prop 4:

Expands Public Financing of Elections

Gives candidates public funding options so they don’t rely on big money donors.

Vote Yes Prop 5:

Improves the Recall Election Process

Makes statewide recall elections a simple yes-or-no vote on the official.

Vote Yes Prop 38:

Advances Life-Saving Medical Research

Funds research into treatments for cancer, Alzheimer’s, and other serious diseases.

Vote No Prop 39:

Prohibits Voting Without Government-Issued ID

Requires government ID to vote, creating new barriers for seniors and people with disabilities.

Vote No Prop 40:

Imposes a One-Time Wealth Tax

Taxes billionaire wealth once, but does not create new permanent funding for IHSS or child care.

Vote No Prop 41:

Creates New Barriers to Raising Essential Revenue

Makes it harder to raise funding for programs like IHSS, Medi-Cal, and child care.

Vote No Prop 42:

Limits Future Funding Options for Public Services

Makes it harder to raise new funding for programs like IHSS, Medi-Cal, and child care.

Vote No Prop 43:

Restricts Communities’ Ability to Fund Local Services

Makes it harder for local communities to fund health care and support for working families.

Vote No Prop 45:

Weakens Environmental Review

Weakens union leverage and limits community power over harmful projects.

ENDORSEMENTS

Candidates Backed by UDW

Xavier Becerra

Governor

Rob Bonta

Attorney General

Malia Cohen

Controller

Jane Kim

Insurance Commissioner

Fiona Ma

Lt. Governor

Dr. Shirley Weber

Secretary of State

Richard Barrera

Superintendent of Public Instruction

Eleni Kounalakis

Treasurer

Built by Care Workers

Voter Guide

We’ve done the work. The UDW Voter Guide evaluates candidates on the issues Care Workers care about most:

Lower cost of living

So your paycheck stretches further

Higher wages and better benefits

So your work is honored and respected

Affordable housing and healthcare

For workers and the communities we serve

Quality education

For our children enabling a brighter future

Dignified care

For our disabled loved ones to ensure the best quality of life

Secure retirement

For our elders, ensuring they experience stress free golden years. They earned it.

Explore the Voter Guide

Enter your address and see UDW endorsed candidates on your ballot. A brighter future for Care Workers and California communities doesn’t happen on its own — it happens when we make it happen.

VOTE WITH CONFIDENCE

Find Your Polling Location

Find your polling location.
See what’s on the ballot.
Contact your election officials.

The Latest Updates

What California Proposition 42 Means for Care Workers and Why UDW Opposes It

California Proposition 42 was written and funded by billionaires to protect their own wealth from future taxes. UDW members should vote NO on Prop. 42 this November!

October 8, 2026

Protect Our Right to Vote: UDW Members Are Voting NO on Proposition 39!

Prop 39 would make voting harder, more expensive, and less accessible for millions of Californians. The measure would create new identification requirements that could lead to more rejected ballots, longer lines at polling places, and confusion for people trying to exercise their right to vote.

October 1, 2026

UDW Members are Voting YES on Proposition 3 to Protect IHSS and Child Care Funding!

Prop 3 will keep an existing tax on California’s highest-income earners (people making over $360,000 annually) in place. It is not a new tax on working families. Instead, it protects funding for education, health care, and important programs like IHSS and child care.

September 30, 2026

MEMBER VOICES

Astrid Zuniga

UDW Statewide President and Home Care Provider

“Elections are not just political events. They have a direct impact on our daily lives, our jobs, our families, and the communities we serve. We’ve said it before, and we’ll continue to say it: staying active in our elections is essential because those decisions determine our futures.”

Donise Keller

Family Child Care Provider

“Those who came before us fought to give us a voice through voting. As child care providers, we care for the future every day and we deserve a voice where decisions about the future are made. Voting is more than a right, it is a responsibility, a legacy and our power. Never take for granted what those before us fought for us to have. Please get out and vote.”

Monica Escalante

Home Care Provider

“Our rights are being violated. I feel like these last few years have set us back many years… I’d like our rights back. It’s important.”

You Have the Following Rights:

The right to vote if you are a registered voter. You are eligible to vote if you are:

- A U.S. citizen living in California
- At least 18 years old Registered where you currently live
- Not currently serving a state or federal prison term for the conviction of a felony
- Not currently found mentally incompetent to vote by a court
The right to vote if you are a registered voter even if your name is not on the list. You will vote using a provisional ballot. Your vote will be counted if elections officials determine that you are eligible to vote.
The right to vote if you are still in line when the polls close.
The right to cast a secret ballot without anyone bothering you or telling you how to vote.
The right to get a new ballot if you have made a mistake, if you have not already cast your ballot. You can: Ask an elections official at a polling place for a new ballot, Exchange your vote-by-mail ballot for a new one at an elections office, or at your polling place, or Vote using a provisional ballot.
The right to get help casting your ballot from anyone you choose, except from your employer or union representative.
The right to drop off your completed vote-by-mail ballot at any polling place in California.
The right to get election materials in a language other than English if enough people in your voting precinct speak that language.
The right to ask questions to elections officials about election procedures and watch the election process. If the person you ask cannot answer your questions, they must send you to the right person for an answer. If you are disruptive, they can stop answering you.
The right to report any illegal or fraudulent election activity to an elections official or the Secretary of State’s office.

If you believe you have been denied any of these rights, call the Secretary of State’s confidential toll-free Voter Hotline at (800) 345-VOTE (8683).

On the web at www.sos.ca.gov
By phone at (800) 345-VOTE (8683)
By email at elections@sos.ca.gov

Printable Bill of Rights

For additional languages click HERE.

Voting Rights Frequently Asked Questions

The person I care for has a conservator. Can they still vote?

Yes, unless a judge specifically ruled that they can’t communicate a wish to vote. Their ballot should still come to them by mail

I don’t have a permanent address. Can I register?

Yes, you can list cross streets or describe where you stay, then give a mailing address like a shelter. If your mail isn’t reliable, make a plan to vote in person instead.

I can’t get to a polling place. How do I vote?

County elections officials begin mailing ballots on or before October 5th. Have some one help you check your mailbox – your ballot may be there now! Make a Plan to return your ballot as soon as you receive it.

I’m on parole. Am I allowed to vote?

Yes! Parole and probation don’t take away your right to vote in California. The only people who cannot vote are those serving a felony sentence in state or federal prison.

I turn 18 right before Election Day. Can I vote on Nov. 3rd?

Yes, if you’re 18 on or before Nov. 3rd., register at registertovote.ca.gov before Oct.19th or register in person through Election Day. Early voting locations open in select counties Oct. 24th for in-person early voting and all locations across the state open Saturday, Oct. 31st.

I just became a citizen. Can I register to vote?

Yes! You can register to vote as soon as you become a citizen. The form asks only about you, not your family. The deadline to register by mail is Oct. 19th. After that, register in person at your county elections office or voting center.

I moved and never updated my registration. Is it too late?

Update your address by Oct.19th at registertovote.ca.gov to receive your ballot at your new address. Miss the deadline? You can still register and vote in person through Election Day. Your ballot will be counted once the county confirms your registration.

Ready to vote

Check Your Status and Make Your Plan

Confirm you’re registered, then choose how you’ll vote — at a secure drop-off site or in person before Election Day.

Share

Spread the word

Every vote counts. Share this page with someone who cares about California and the care workers who power it.

Paid for by United Domestic Workers of America Issues PAC and United Domestic Workers of America Action Fund.