SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

The race to the White House is getting more intense, with the presidential election now officially one year away.

An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll shows former Vice President Joe Biden leading President Trump 50 to 41 percent among registered voters. Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts leads the president by 8 points -- 50 to 42 percent.

The poll was conducted Oct. 27 to Oct. 30, with 900 adults reached, half of them by cellphone. It presents a snapshot of voter sentiment now, but a lot can change over the next 12 months.

For President Trump, the impeachment controversy is heating up. Forty-nine percent of those polled stated they believe the president should be impeached and removed from office, while 46 percent say no.

“I have the real polls,” the President said in response to the poll. “I have the real poll. The CNN polls are fake. The Fox polls have always been lousy. I tell them they ought to get themselves a new pollster. But the real polls, and you look at the polls that came out this morning, people don’t want anything to do with impeachment. It’s a phony scam. It’s a hoax.”

For the Democrats, Biden still leads the pack nationwide, with 27 percent support, while Warren has 23 percent and Bernie Sanders is third with 19 percent.

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No matter the candidates, Californians will have more voting options. Fifteen counties now allow voting by mail. For No Party Preference and other independent voters, you’ll have to request what's called a crossover ballot to vote in the presidential primary.

“Only the Democratic Party allows independent No Party Preference voters to cross over and vote in their primary,” said Kim Alexander, president of the California Voter Foundation. “The Republican Party does not allow that. So, if you want to vote in the Republican presidential primary, you must be a Republican."

You can check your voter status on the California Secretary of State’s website here. 

Starting next year, a new law allows voters to change their party registration at their polling place all the way up to Election Day, enabling more independent voters to participate in the primary next March.

Also, in 2020, you won’t need a stamp to send in your ballot. Return envelopes will have the postage paid automatically. The new law may help a lot of younger voters, many of whom rarely use stamps because they are accustomed to paying their bills online. (full story)