WEBSITE NAVIGATION INFORMATION 

SECTION 1

WHAT'S ON THE BALLOT?

First Part of the Ballot

A "yes" vote removes Governor Newsom from office.

A "no" vote keeps Governor Newsom in office until the end of his term.

Second Part of the Ballot

You have the option to pick one replacement candidate from the list headed “Candidates to succeed GAVIN NEWSOM as Governor if he is recalled."

• By law, the list of forty-six candidates (not counting the additional qualifying write-in candidates) may not include Governor Newsom.
• The list of official write-in candidates will be available on September 3. See image below. https://lavote.net/Apps/CandidateList/Index?id=4278         
• You cannot vote for him or write in his name. California Election Code (11381c) stipulates that "a person whose recall is being sought cannot be a candidate to succeed themselves at a recall election."

This second part of the ballot is in play if more than 50 percent of voters vote "yes" on the first part of the ballot. The candidate who receives the most votes will become governor and will complete Governor Newsom's term in office.

We've been getting this question a lot:

"If I vote "no" on the recall (first question), can I still pick a candidate on the second question?"

Answer: Yes. You may vote on the second question no matter how you vote on the first question.

• Answering the second question (choosing a replacement candidate) ensures that your voice is counted on which candidate should be Governor if more than 50% of voters choose yes on the first question.
• You are not required to answer both questions for your vote to count.

LIST OF OFFICIAL WRITE-IN CANDIDATES

SECTION 2

ELECTION TIMELINE & USEFUL LINKs 

TIMELINE

August 12 - Start date for mailing Vote By Mail Ballots to voters registered as of July 16th

August 30 - Last day to register to appear on the voter rolls and receive a VBN ballot automatically, and last day to submit a permanent change of address

Sept 4 - Some Vote Centers open (10am to 7pm) for same-day voter registration and early voting.

Sept 7 - Last day to request a VBM replacement ballot.

Sept11 - All Vote Centers are open (10am to 7pm) for same-day voter registration and early voting.

Sept 14 - All Vote Centers are open for voting (7am to 8pm) Recall Election Day.

LWV - Pasadena Area Voter Hotline Number: (626) 798-0965

The Voter Hotline will be operational from September 3 to September 13, 2:00 - 7:00 p.m. Phone coverage on September 14, Recall Election Day, will be from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

USEFUL LINKS

https://my.lwv.org/california/pasadena/article/understanding-gubernatorial-recall-election 

https://lavote.net/       

https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/2021-ca-gov-recall/newsom-recall-faqs      

https://votersedge.org/ca                    

https://calmatters.org/politics/2021/08/newsom-recall-how-to-vote/            

For in-depth voter information about voting in California visit the https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/2021-ca-gov-recall/                      

SECTION 2

MAKE MY BALLOT COUNT TOOLKIT

Tool #1 Register or Check Your Voter Registration

It's always a good idea to check your voter registration 4-6 weeks before an election to make sure your information is up to date. Visit https://registertovote.ca.gov/ to register or check your status.

Tool #2 Know someone subject to threats and other harassment?

They may qualify for California's Safe at Home Program. For further information, please have them contact Safe at Home toll free at 1-877-322-5227 or visit https://www.sos.ca.gov/registries/safe-home.           

Tool #3 If You Have Been Relocated during COVID

The Registrar can send your vote-by-mail ballot to a temporary address for the upcoming Gubernatorial Recall Election.

• In the September 2021 Voter, we advised voters forced to relocate due to COVID to re-register to vote and to update their mailing address only.
• The Registrar is now offering a better solution: use the VBM Replacement feature to update your mailing address on or before September 7th. https://lavote.net/Apps/VoteByMail/Index?id=4278
• Start by checking the mailing address in your voter registration record at https://lavote.net/vrstatus.

Tool #4 Voting by Mail

Starting August 16th all registered voters were sent a vote-by-mail ballot for the September 14, 2021, Recall Election.  Make sure the vote-by-mail ballot is addressed to you. Contact the Registrar's Office at voterinfo [at] rrcc.lacounty.gov if a ballot is misdirected.

Safeguard your vote-by-mail materials until you are ready to mark your ballot. After you have voted, insert your ballot first in the security sleeve and then the envelope provided. Seal, sign, and date the envelope in the space provided. Return your ballot as soon as practicable.

THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS ENCOURAGES VOTE-BY-MAIL. EASY, SAFE, AND SECURE!

Tool #5 Returning Your Vote-by-Mail Ballot

Voters are advised that they are responsible for how their Vote by Mail (VBM) ballots are returned and with whom they entrust their ballots. The Los Angeles County Registrar recommends returning a ballot either through US mailbox, an official dropbox, or delivering to a poll worker at an open Vote Center during Early Voting days or on Election Day.

You may return your voted ballot by:

• Mailing it to the Registrar's Office in Norwalk.

-          Returning it in-person to a polling place, Vote Center, or the LA County Registrar's Office in Norwalk.

-          Find a convenient Vote Center at https://locator.lavote.net/locations/vc.

-          Vote-by-mail ballots that are personally delivered must be received no later than the close of polls at 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, September 14.

-           Dropping your ballot into one of your county's ballot drop boxes.

-          Vote-by-mail ballots that are personally delivered to a ballot drop-off location must be inserted in the box no later than the close of polls at 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, September 14.

-          For convenient DropBox locations visit https://lavote.net/home/voting-elections/voting-options/vote-by-mail/vbm-ballot-drop-off.          

-          Authorizing someone to return the ballot on your behalf.

-          Anyone may return your ballot for you, as long as they do not get paid on a per ballot basis.

-          For your ballot to be counted, you must fill out the authorization section found on the outside of your ballot envelope. See image.

Note: To get more information email voterinfo [at] rrcc.lacounty.gov.

Tool #6 Need a Replacement Vote By Mail Ballot?

Go to https://lavote.net/Apps/VoteByMail/Index?id=4278 OR https://lavote.net/apps/votebymail/generalinfo to request a replacement VBM before Tuesday, September 7th! You can obtain a replacement VBM envelope at any Vote Center during hours of operation.

Tool #7 Vote-By-Mail (VBM) Ballot Tracking

Under the California Elections Code, a voter who casts a vote-by-mail ballot can find out if the ballot arrived at his or her county elections office (Registrar's Office) if the ballot was counted, and, if not, the reason it was not counted.

Sign up to track your ballot at WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov to receive an automatic email, SMS (text), or voice call notiication about your ballot.

Tool #8 Vote by Mail Ballot Signature Verification

When your vote-by-mail ballot is received by the LA County Registrar's Office, your signature on the return envelope will be compared to the signature on your voter registration record to ensure they match.

• To preserve the secrecy of your ballot, the ballot will then be separated from the envelope, and then it will be tallied/counted.

-          All valid vote-by-mail ballots are counted in every election in California, regardless of the outcome or closeness of any race.

-          For additional information on how and when ballots are verified and tabulated, please visit California's description of how the official canvass of the vote is completed.

Tool #9 Signature Mismatch Against Voter Registration Database

The Registrar will make every effort to count your vote.

• Your signature is required to verify your identity and process the ballot.
• If the signature on your vote-by-mail return envelope does not match what is in the voter registration database, the Registrar will notify you by mail and ask you to complete and return a Signature Verification Statement.
• Download the Signature Verification Statement and return it by 5 PM on October 12, 2021.       
• Carefully read the instructions for returning it. You may have the option to drop it off or mail it back. In either case, return it immediately so your ballot can be counted.

Tool #10 Unsigned Ballot Statement on Vote by Mail Envelope

Your signature is required to verify your identity before they can process the ballot.

• If you returned your vote-by-mail ballot without signing the return envelope, the Registrar will mail you a document called the Unsigned Ballot Statement asking for your signature.
• You have up to twenty-eight days after Election Day to return the statement for your ballot to be processed.
• The deadline to submit the Unsigned Ballot Statementis 5pm on October 12, 2021.
• If you misplace the form, download the form and return it by 5 PM on October 12, 2021.
• Once again, return it immediately so your ballot can be counted.

Tool # 11 Check Provisional Ballot Status

• Every voter who casts a provisional ballot is entitled to find out if the ballot was counted and, if not, the reason it was not counted.
• Provisional ballot status will be available thirty days after the election. Status may be checked at https://lavote.net/pbstatus.

Tool #12 Did You Miss the August 30 Voter Registration Deadline?

Same-day voter registration, known as Conditional Voter Registration in state law, is a safety net for Californians who miss the voter registration deadline.

• Eligible citizens who need to register or re-register to vote can register and vote on the same day at their county elections office, polling place, or vote center starting September 4.
• Their provisional/conditional ballots will be processed and counted once the county elections office has completed the voter registration verification process.
• Please see Tools #13 "Voting in Person - Have a Plan" & #14, "How to Vote in Person"

Tool #13 Voting in Person “ Have a Plan"

Consider voting in person if:

• you are registered to vote but do not have a residence or mailing address
• you missed the voter registration deadline of August 30
• you signed up to track your ballot and it has been 7 days since the ballot was mailed to you and you haven't received it
• you are a registered voter, it is September 11, and you have not received a ballot in the mail

How to Vote in Person?

If you must vote in person, then you need to know a few ways to make the best use of your time:

-          Plan to vote as early as September 4.

-          Do not wait for Election Day - avoid the lines!

-          Find a convenient Vote Center at https://locator.lavote.net/locations/vc?id=4278&culture=en

-          Review your sample ballot (hardcopy or email version) and decide how you are going to vote

-          Visit the links above for resources that will help you decide.          

• Access the Registrar's Interactive Sample Ballot (ISB) at https://isb.lavote.net/.

-          The ISB is a tool that allows you to access, review, and mark your selections on a smart device (at home or anywhere) prior to going to a Vote Center.

-          You are not voting online. You are saving your choices on your device so you can be ready to vote at the Vote Center.

-          You will receive a Poll Pass with a machine-readable QR code that you take with you to the Vote Center. Print your Poll Pass or save it to your cell phone.

-          This is more accurate than transferring your choices from a paper sample ballot to the ballot-marking device (BMD).

• Watch the YouTube videos How to vote on the NEW Ballot Marking Device at https://youtu.be/CGLE0fkBc4c. And How to use the Interactive Sample Ballot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3iGe4Pj9Cw 

-          Watch someone vote with it! These videos will give you an idea of what to expect.

-          Remember that the BMD neither records nor counts votes.

-          And it is NOT connected to any other computer or the internet.

-          Instead, it helps fill out your paper ballot so it can be counted easily at the Registrar's headquarters.

• Expedite your check-in at the Vote Center. 

-          Take your paper sample ballot with you (if you have one) or visit https://lavote.net/vrstatus to obtain your Quick Check-in Code using the Voter Registration Verification feature. Instead of giving your information to the check-in clerk, you can scan your personal barcode to start the process! See sample ballot image with Quick Check-In Code.

• You are now ready to go to the Vote Center.

-          Make sure you have your Poll Pass (paper or cell phone), Sample Ballot or Quick Check-in Code, and your identification if you are a first-time voter. See for acceptable forms of ID https://www.sos.ca.gov/administration/regulations/current-regulations/elections/help-america-vote-act-identification-standards   

-          Make sure you wear a mask and any other protective gear you feel you need.

-          At the Vote Center you will be checked in, given a paper ballot, and directed to an available BMD. Then you will populate your paper ballot using your QR Code or fingertip, review it, and cast your paper ballot.

-          Collect your "I Voted!" sticker.

Voting for the First Time

If voting for the first time, you will need to show identification.

• Take your California Driver's License, California ID, or the last four digits of your Social Security number. However, if you cannot provide any of the above-mentioned:

-          A copy of a recent utility bill, the county Voter Information Guide you received from your county elections office, or another document sent to you by a government agency are examples of acceptable forms of identification.

-          Other examples include your passport or student identification card. More at: https://www.sos.ca.gov/administration/regulations/current-regulations/elections/help-america-vote-act-identification-standards      

Tool #14 Safety at the Polls

The Registrar has made every effort to ensure that all eligible voters get a chance to vote.

• Safety measures are in place to make voting as safe as possible. Learn more at https://lavote.net/home/voting-elections/voting-options/voting-in-person  
• Voters can safely vote in person at ANY Vote Center in L.A. County.
• Select Vote Centers will be open for business beginning on Saturday, September 4.
• All Vote Centers will be available beginning Saturday, September 11, through Election Day, September 14.
• Centers will be open every day from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. during the early voting period of September 4 – September 13.
• On Election Day, September 14, Vote Centers will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.