More vote centers open across Southern California for early voting

FILE PHOTO  (REUTERS/Jeenah Moon)

LOS ANGELES – Another 526 vote centers opened across Los Angeles County Saturday, along with 146 more in Orange County, allowing people to cast their ballots for Tuesday’s General Election.

More than 100 vote centers have been open already in LA County, as well as 38 in Orange County, for people wanting to cast their ballots early.

As of Saturday, Los Angeles County has a total of 648 vote centers available, and 184 in Orange County.

Vote centers are open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. A full list of locations in LA County is available at locator.lavote.gov, and in Orange County at ocvote.gov/votecenter.

Information on vote centers throughout California can be found here.

Residents can visit any vote center, regardless of where they live in the county. People can cast their vote in person at the centers, or drop off their mail-in ballot.

On Election Day Tuesday, vote centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Authorities are urging people to cast their ballots early rather than waiting until Tuesday to avoid long waits and expedite the process of tabulating the vote.

“With additional vote centers opening this weekend, we encourage voters to take advantage of early voting options to avoid Election Day lines and ensure their voices are heard in the Election Night results,” Dean Logan, Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, said in a statement.

“Voting early provides greater convenience and contributes to a smoother, more efficient election process for all.”

Residents who missed the registration deadline for the election but still want to vote can visit a vote center and complete a conditional voter registration form and cast a ballot. The ballot will be held until the voter’s eligibility is confirmed.

In San Diego County, more than 200 vote centers opened Saturday.

In anticipation for an increased voter turnout, the San Diego County Registrar of Voters’ office has also added six super centers, equipped with additional check-in stations, voting booths and poll workers.

The super centers are located at:

— Chula Vista: MAAC Community Center, 1387 3rd Ave.
— El Cajon: Wells Park, 1153 E. Madison Ave.
— Encinitas: Encinitas Community Center, Manzanita Room, 1140 Oakcrest Park Dr.
— Kearny Mesa: Registrar of Voters, 5600 Overland Ave.
— San Diego: San Diego LGBT Community Center, 3909 Centre St.
— San Marcos: San Marcos Community Center, Mail Hall, 3 Civic Center Dr.

Since Oct. 25, a total of 39 vote centers have been open for people wanting to cast their ballots early.

The hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Monday, Nov. 4. On the final day of voting, Tuesday, Nov. 5, all vote centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Vote centers have replaced polling places and provide multiple services, such as allowing for in-person voting or dropping off ballots, voting using an accessible ballot marking device, receiving assistance in multiple languages and registering to vote or updating voter registration to vote the same day.

County staff remind the public that campaigning or electioneering within 100 feet of a vote center or official ballot drop box is illegal.

For people who still want to register to vote can also visit the San Diego County Registrar of Voters’ office in Kearny Mesa to provisionally register between Saturday and Nov. 5.

Voters can check whether they are registered here.

Election materials are also available in Spanish, Filipino, Vietnamese and Chinese.

Early voting has begun, with mail-in ballots already sent to every registered voter. The registrar’s office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and people can also vote in person there.

A list of the official ballot drop boxes and voting centers can be found here.

Information on vote centers throughout California can be found here.

In Riverside County, another 130  vote centers opened Saturday.

Since Oct. 25, a total of 20 vote centers have been open for people wanting to cast their ballots early. Riverside County now has a total of 150 vote centers available.

Residents can visit any vote center, regardless of where they live in the county. People can cast their vote in person at the centers, or drop off their mail-in ballot.

Vote centers are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. A complete list of vote centers is available at voteinfo.net. Information on vote centers throughout California can be found here.

“Voters are not assigned to a specific location and may cast their ballot at any available vote center,” the Office of the Registrar of Voters said. “Eligible residents can also register to vote or update their registration at a vote center.”
Volunteers and registrar’s staff will be on hand to assist at each location.

There are roughly 1.4 million residents currently on county voter rolls. To date, more than 250,000 mail-in ballots have been received for the Nov. 5 General Election, officials said.

“For voters who wish to return their vote-by-mail ballots at a drop box location, the registrar has 106 official ballot drop-off locations throughout the county,” the agency stated.

A complete list of ballot drop boxes is also available at voteinfo.net.

Residents who missed the registration deadline for the election but still want to vote can visit a vote center and complete a conditional voter registration form and cast a ballot. The ballot will be held until the voter’s eligibility is confirmed. (CNS).