How Will You Vote This Year?

Whether you are a first-time voter or an experienced voter, you will find the information you need to help you decide how, when, and where to vote.

VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINES!

October 19 Last day to register, and last day to submit a temporary change of address

October 24 Some Vote Centers open for early voting

October 27 Last day to submit a permanent change of address

October 30 All Vote Centers are open for voting

Hear From The Candidates Before You Vote - No Need to Skip These items On Your Ballot!

SEPTEMBER CANDIDATE FORUM VIDEOS

OCTOBER CANDIDATE FORUMS

Duarte City Council

October5,6:30pm - 830pm

Alhambra City Council

Alhambra USD

October 8, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

South Pasadena USD

October 12, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

La Cañada USD

October 13, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

STATE AND COUNTY BALLOT MEASURES EXPLAINED

Sign up for Thursday with the League, October 8, 2020, Hot Topics … Cold Facts; How Will You Vote This Year?

Your November 3 ballot asks you to weigh in on some remarkably diverse topics. You are not the only one feeling confused, befuddled, perplexed, flummoxed, nonplussed, and stupefied!

On October 8, our talented team of Pro & Con presenters will be providing unbiased information about each of the twelve state measures and L.A. County Measure J. After listening to the Pro & Con presentations, you'll feel much more confident about making your choices on November 3. Please register at www.lwv-pa.org to join us online on October 8! 

"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 #3 Need a Replacement Vote By Mail Ballot?

Call the Registrar's Office at (800) 815-2666, Option 2, for help.

Tool #4 If You Have Been Relocated during COVID

In the September 2020 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: the Vote by Mail Temporary Mailing Address program. This program also helps those unable to return to their homes because of the fires. Learn more at https://lavote.net/apps/votebymail/generalinfo.

The Registrar can send your vote-by-mail ballot to a temporary address for the upcoming Presidential General Election. This is a one-time request and will not permanently change your voter registration. The last day to do this is Tuesday, October 27. Start by checking the mailing address in your voter registration record at https://lavote.net/vrstatus.

Note: To permanently change your address, please update your voter registration before the October 19 voter registration deadline at https://registertovote.ca.gov/.

Tool #5 Voting by Mail

Starting October 5th all registered voters will be sent a vote-by-mail ballot for the November 3, 2020, General Election.  No need to apply. Make sure the vote-by-mail ballot is addressed to you. Contact the Registrars 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 in the envelope provided. Seal, sign, and date the envelope in the space provided. Make sure you complete all required information on the envelope. Return your ballot as soon as practicable.

Tool #6 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 to either a mailbox, official dropbox, or ballot box at a Vote Center.

You may return your voted ballot by:

• Mailing it to the Registrars Office in Norwalk.
•  Use the envelope provided with pre-paid postage and return address.
•  Vote-by-mail ballots that are mailed must be postmarked on or before Election Day, November 3, and received by the Registrars Office no later than 17 days after Election Day.  
• If you are not sure your vote-by-mail ballot will arrive in time if mailed, take it to any polling place or Vote Center in California between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Election Day or any Early Voting Center during hours of operation.
•  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 delivered no later than the close of polls at 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, November 3.
• 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 delivered no later than the close of polls at  8:00 p.m. on Election Day, November 3.
• 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.

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

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 (Registrars 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 notification about your ballot.

Tool #8 Vote by Mail Ballot Signature Verification 

When your vote-by-mail ballot is received by the LA County Registrars Office, your signature on the return envelope will be compared to the signature on your voter registration card 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 Voting for the First Time

When you registered to vote, you were asked to fill in your driver license number, California identification number, or the last four digits of your Social Security number.

• If you did not include this information when you registered, send a photocopy of some personal identification with your Vote-by-Mail Application to the Registrar"s Office. Email voterinfor [at] rrcc.lacounty.gov for instructions.
• 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, driver license, official California identification card, or student identification card.
• If your identity cannot be verified, then your Vote-by-Mail ballot envelope will not be opened.

Tool # 10 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 #11 Signature Mismatch Against Voter Registration Database

The Registrar will make every effort to count your vote.

• 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. Click here for the form
• 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 #12 Unsigned Ballot Statement on Vote by Mail Envelope

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. Click here for the form

• Your signature is required to verify your identity before they can process the ballot.
• You have up to twenty-eight days after Election Day to return the statement for your ballot to be processed. Once again, return it immediately so your ballot can be counted.

Tool #13 Did You Miss the October 19 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 October 24.
• Their ballots will be processed and counted once the county elections office has completed the voter registration verification process.
• Please see Tool #14, How to Vote in Person

Tool #14 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 October 19
• you signed up to track your ballot and it has been 7 days since the ballot was mailed to you
• you are a registered voter, it is October 31, 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 October 24.
• Do not wait for Election Day - avoid the lines!
• Find a convenient Vote Center at https://locator.lavote.net/locations/vc.
• Review your sample ballot (hardcopy or email version) and decide how you are going to vote on specific ballot measures and candidates for office.

Visit the LWV-PA website and on the homepage scroll down to Voter Information & Election News to find resources that will help you decide.

• Watch the October 8 "Pros & Cons" Thursday with the League video on Youtube to get nonpartisan information!
• Access the Registrars 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 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.
• This is more accurate than transferring your choices from a paper sample ballot to the ballot-marking device (BMD).

• Watch the YouTube video How to vote on the NEW Ballot Marking Device at https://youtu.be/CGLE0fkBc4c.
• Watch someone vote with it! This video 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 Registrars 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.
• Instead of giving your information to the check-in clerk, you can scan your personal barcode to start the process!
• 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.
• 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 cast your paper ballot and collect your I Voted! sticker.

Tool #15 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/early-voting.
• 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, October 24.
• All Vote Centers will be available beginning Friday, October 30, through Election Day, November 3.
• Centers will be open every day from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. during the early voting period of October 24 - November 2.
• On Election Day, November 3, Vote Centers will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

For in-depth voter information about voting in California visit the https://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/voter-info/   

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

The Voter Hotline will be operational from October 24 to November 2, 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Phone coverage on November 3, Election Day, will be from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.