By now, almost all registered voters should have received a ballot in the mail for this year’s big election. And now that you have your ballot, a whole list of voting options is available to you.
First, you can always fill out the ballot by hand and drop it into a U.S Mail box for delivery. No stamp is necessary.
Second, you can drop it in one of our municipal ballot drop boxes, placed at parks and libraries around LA County.
Third, you can take it to any LA County Vote Center, the first few of which are opening this Saturday, October 24. There are actually two kinds of vote centers this year, those that will be open for 11 days, from October 24 through November 3, and those that will be open for just five days, from October 30 through November 3.
The 11-day centers are less numerous, but they’re the ones opening soonest – and there is one very close to our general readership area: the Wiltern Theater, at the SE corner of Wilshire and Western. The Wiltern Vote Center will be open daily, starting Saturday, from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM, through November 2, and then from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM on election day, Tuesday, November 3. At any of those times you can either drop off your paper ballot or vote in person using the devices available at the site.
The 5-day vote centers won’t open until October 30, but there are a lot more of them, many at local schools (e.g. Christ the King, Charles Kim Elementary, Wilshire Park Elementary, Los Angeles High School, and Wilshire Crest Elementary), and they too will be open additional hours on Tuesday, November 3.
All of our local Vote Centers are shown on the map below (the orange pegs identify the 11-day centers, and blue pegs are the 5-day centers). Just click on the map to explore the locations.
Now, In addition to planning where you will vote between now and November 3, it’s also a good time to figure out more about how you will vote.
For example, if you will be voting in person, note that there’s a quick check-in code printed on the Sample Ballot you should also have received in the mail…so if you’re planning to vote on site at a Vote Center, rather than just dropping off your paper ballot, bring the check-in code with you to save a few minutes when you arrive.
Also, now’s the time to start reading and filling out your sample ballot, which contains information about all the races and several of the propositions you’ll be voting on. Sample ballots are also available online, if you prefer, and can be used to help you fill out either your paper or in-person ballot.
And for even more information about the full list of ballot propositions, to give you the full details of each measure without the spin of campaign mailers, see any of these useful resources:
Ballot-o-Pedia
CalMatters
League of Women Voters
The non-partisan League of Women Voters also has its proposition recommendations online here.
If you do choose to go to a Vote Center, either drop off your ballot or to vote in person, please note that staff at the centers will do all they can to help people stay safe while voting. All locations will follow public health and safety guidelines, including:
- Wearing face coverings
- Social distancing
- Wiping and sanitizing all surfaces and devices
- Using personal protective equipment
Finally, if you have not received your ballot yet, or if you both received it and dropped it off at a mailbox, ballot box, or (starting this weekend) vote center, you can use the handy “Where’s My Ballot” tool to track the current location and status of your ballot.
Happy voting!
