Early voting centers open in LA County for in-person balloting

An increasing number of Los Angeles County voters won’t touch a voting machine this election season, opting instead for the Vote-by-Mail process. But on Saturday, the first day of early in-person voting at 122 Vote Centers in Los Angeles County, scores of residents chose to cast their ballots the traditional way.

Some were excited to be first in line to cast a ballot. Some, however, expressed skepticism of the vote-by-mail system, a familiar political debate point these days. Still others said they simply wanted to vote early and skip the election-day crowds.

Michael Sanchez, media and communication representative with the L.A. County Registrar-Recorder / County Clerk, said 15,600 voters had gone to the newly opened Vote Centers on Saturday as of mid-afternoon. Sanchez added:  739,845 mail ballots had been returned to the registrar’s office as of Saturday morning.

Around 75 people arrived at the Vote Center at the Higher Vision Church in Valencia in the first hour after it opened at 10 a.m. Some simply wanted to drop off their mail-in ballot in person, while others preferred to cast their vote live.

“I’m always the first one here to vote,” said Susan Wintzinger of Valencia, who led the queue. “I don’t want to stand on the long line.”

Citing reports of the theft of ballots from mailboxes in the 2020 election, she said she didn’t want hers to be lost. “I’d rather go and put it in the machine, where it gets recorded right away,” she said. “I’ve always done that.”

“We want to vote in person because we still don’t trust the mail system,” said Paul Xu of Valencia said. “This is the first day it’s open, so we’re here to vote early so that our vote gets counted.”

While waiting to vote Saturday, some voters shared stories of lost ballots and other issues. Sanchez said the registrar’s office can’t comment on such allegations without facts and a subsequent investigation. Sanchez, however, stood firmly behind the increasingly popular vote-by-mail system.

“Voting by mail is a trusted and secure method of voting,” Sanchez said. “Since 2020, approximately 80% of voters that participated in an election have used their Vote-by-Mail ballot, which speaks to the trust and popularity of voting by mail.”

Sanchez touted the registrar’s online tracking tools — voters can track their ballots by signing up at WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov — but also said that some voters simply prefer to vote in person. That option is available to them with the Vote Centers that opened Saturday — and 526 additional Vote Centers opening next Saturday, Nov. 2, through Election Day, Nov. 5.

Vote Centers are open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Nov. 4, with Election Day hours of 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Daniel Zabounian of Castaic said he preferred to vote at a polling place. “I’d rather be in-person and do it myself. I feel more comfortable that way.”

Dale Jeffries said he was just fine with the Vote-by-Mail system, but…”My wife wants to vote in person. I’d have mailed, but she wants to vote.”

Doug Moran of Valencia said he’s simply a traditionalist. “Old school. I like doing it this way … I always vote.”

Early voting began Oct. 7, when county election officials around the state first began mailing Vote-by-Mail ballots to registered voters.

Those in L.A. County who met the Oct. 21 registration deadline hold the options of voting by mail, casting their ballot in person early at one of the Vote Centers, or showing up in person on Election Day. Same Day Voter Registration — or Conditional Voter Registration — is a safety-net option for those who missed the deadline. Eligible citizens can visit any Vote Center during the 11-day voting period, complete an application, and vote.

There are three ways voters can drop off their vote-by-mail ballots:

–In a mailbox, postage-free. Don’t forget to sign and date the return envelope. Your ballot will be counted as long as it’s postmarked by Nov. 5.

–At one of more than 400 ballot drop box locations across the county.

–At a vote center starting Saturday, Oct. 26.

To find a drop box or a vote center location, visit plan.lavote.gov. From there, you can also sign up to track when your ballot is received and counted by clicking on the “Where’s My Ballot?” link.

For those who missed last week’s deadline for online voter registration to request a ballot in the mail, fear not. You can still cast a ballot in this election – but you’ll have to show up in person to a vote center.

Anyone who would like to check their voter registration status can do so at lavote.gov/vrstatus.

Staff writer Linh Tat contributed to this report