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Californians must register to vote by 11:59 p.m. Monday (Oct. 22) if they want to participate in the Nov. 6 election. 

In the first month since launching, more than 544,000 Californians have submitted a voter registration application using the online system, according to Secretary of State Debra Bowen.

"Given all of the important issues on the November ballot, I am delighted so many Californians want to make their voices heard," Bowen said in a news release. "Since registering to vote is easier than ever with the quick online option, there is no excuse for not being ready to vote on Election Day."

Hundreds of thousands of registration applications are submitted in the final weeks before a voter registration deadline, especially in presidential election years. 

Voter registration applications must be submitted by midnight 15 days before the election. Postmarks count for paper applications, and online applications must be submitted—not started—by 11:59 p.m. on the Oct. 22 deadline (online registration records are time-stamped upon completion).

Los Angeles County registrar workers will be staffing registration tables at more than a dozen locations to encourage people to sign up.

The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk's "Outreach Team" plans to "hit the streets to get the message out that it's the last chance to register to vote in this presidential election," according to Dean Logan, county registrar/clerk. "With the launch of online voter registration, there is no excuse not to register to vote."

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