Voting doesn’t just happen on Election Day anymore.
In fact, voting in this year’s Nov. 5 General Election is already happening in Los Angeles County at “11-Day Vote Centers” found at 122 locations through Nov. 4, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. From Nov. 2 to Nov. 4, there also are 526 “4-Day Vote Centers” open during the same hours.
If you are a traditionalist, of course you may vote at any one of the Vote Centers (all will be open) throughout the county on Tuesday, Nov. 5, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office.
Remember, voters can go to any Vote Center and cast their ballot. To locate a Vote Center go to locator.lavote.gov. Or call: 1-800-815-2666. The online site also shows the wait time at each location.
You can vote in L.A. County if you are a citizen of the United States, are 18 years of age or older on or before Election Day, and not found mentally incompetent by a court of law.
California law does not require registered voters to show ID when voting. But if someone is registering to vote for the first time, they must show a valid government photo ID or provide the last four digits of their Social Security number, the registrar reported.
The deadline to register to vote has passed. The last day was Oct. 21. An unregistered voter can go to a Vote Center, complete a Conditional Voter Registration and cast a ballot, the registrar reported.
Vote by mail
Vote by mail ballots have been sent to all registered voters. This has become a popular voting method ever since the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Some prefer looking at endorsements by news organizations and nonprofit groups in the privacy of their own home to aid in filling out their ballot.
This year’s ballot contains the presidential election as well as Congressional, statewide and local races, plus state and local ballot measures.
The Registrar has an optional tool that allows voters to make their selections on their smartphone or computer and instantly transfer their votes to the Ballot Marking Device with their poll pass. The ballot marking devices are not connected to the Internet or any network source, the registrar reported. To find out more, go to lavote.gov.
To find candidate statements online, go to apps.lavote.gov/candidate-statements. For information on your ballot go to lavote.gov and click on “find my election information.”
After filling out your ballot at home, make sure to sign the return envelope. The registrar verifies the signature on the return envelope with the signature on the voter’s registration record to confirm eligibility.
Completed vote by mail ballots can be placed in the U.S. mail — no postage required, in one of more than 400 official drop boxes, or at a Vote Center. If mailed, the ballot must be postmarked by Election Day and received within seven days after Election Day. To find drop box locations go to: locator.lavote.gov.
Voters can track their ballot by subscribing to Where’s My Ballot at california.ballottrax.net. This is a free subscription that sends automatic notifications by text, email or voicemail on the status of your ballot, the registrar reported.
After you vote
Ballots cast at Vote Centers and all vote by mail ballots are brought to the Registrar’s Ballot Processing Center in City of Industry for tabulation, the registrar reported.
It’s unknown how many of the more than 5.6 million registered voters in L.A. County will cast ballots this election, but as of Tuesday, Oct. 29 the registrar’s office had received back more than 900,000 vote-by-mail ballots.
On Nov. 6, the official vote canvass begins. On Dec. 3, the registrar is scheduled to certify the election results.
To view live streams of the workers at the ballot processing center throughout the voting period, including on election night, go to: lavote.gov/livestream.
By the numbers
Here’s a look at the election in L.A. County by the numbers, as provided by the county registrar:
• Election profile: Offices: 695; Local Measures: 93; Total candidates on the ballot: 695
• L.A. County population 9.7 million: Eligible population of voters 6.5 million; registered voters 5.7 million; race and ethnicity of population Hispanic or Latino 49.1%, White 25.3%, Asian (alone) 15.6%, Black or African American 9%, American Indian and Alaska Native (alone) 1.5%
• Voter political party preference (as of September 2024): Democratic 52.3%, No Party Preference 22.6%, Republican 18.3%
• Election in action: Registered voters, 5,722,621; Military and overseas ballots mailed, 32,247; languages supported, 18; Vote Centers, 648; election workers, 12,000; estimated election cost, $148,118,000.
SCNG Staff Writer Linh Tat contributed to this article.