elections

Election Day is near. Here's how you can cast your vote in California

Friday, March 1, 2024

Here's how you can vote on Election Day in California

It's the final weekend to head to the polls for early voting before the California Presidential Primary.

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- It's the final weekend to head to the polls for early voting before Election Day.

The California Presidential Primary is on Tuesday, March 5 and Californians have several ways to cast their votes.

Registered voters should have already received a ballot by mail. After submitting their ballot, California voters can track their ballot through a tool called "Where's My Ballot?" It sends notifications via email, text or voice call.

HOW TO VOTE

It's recommended that voters check local election websites, or resources from the National Conference of State Legislatures, to know what the rules of Election Day are for their state and region.

RETURN BALLOT BY MAIL

You can mail in your ballot as long as it is postmarked by Tuesday, March 5. You can also drop off your ballot at a secure box by 8 p.m. on Election Day. You can find a ballot drop-off location by visiting caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov.

VOTE EARLY IN PERSON

More than 100 voting centers opened on February 24 across Los Angeles County for residents to cast in-person ballots for the upcoming presidential primary election.

The centers will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters can cast their ballots at any center, regardless of where they live in the county. A list of nearby locations can be found online at locator.lavote.gov.

On March 2, more than 600 vote center locations will open across the county.

In Orange County, 37 vote centers opened last week, with another 146 opening on March 2. A full list of Orange County centers is available at ocvote.gov/votecenter.

RETURN BALLOT IN PERSON

You can drop off your ballot at any polling location or your local county elections office by 8 p.m. on March 5. To find your polling location visit www.sos.ca.gov/elections/polling-place and enter your address.

VOTE IN PERSON ON ELECTION DAY

To vote on Election Day, you must go to your designated polling place. You can find where your polling place is located by putting in your home address in poll locators on websites including Vote.org, Google.com or on your local elections website.

Many states won't require you to bring your voter registration card to the polls, however the majority of them do expect some form of identification to vote in person.

If you are not registered to vote, don't worry. You may register and cast a ballot on the same day. Just ask to fill out a form at your voting center.

If you're in need of an accommodation for a disability or need help with voting using a minority language at your polling site, your polling place will likely offer special assistance, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. The agency recommends contacting your local elections office for details.

DON'T FORGET YOUR RIGHTS

The American Civil Liberties Union advises voters that if the polls close while you're still in line, stay in line.

They say that many Election Day snafus should be remedied quickly - if a mistake is made on your ballot, you can ask for a new one and if the voting machines are down at your location, you are allowed to ask for a paper ballot.

If a poll worker says that a voter's name is not on the list of registered voters, the ACLU recommends that voters ask the poll worker to double check the spelling of their name. The organization also recommends double checking that the voter is at the correct polling place.

If a poll worker still cannot find your name or if you cannot travel to the correct polling place, ask for a provisional ballot. Voters are entitled to a provisional ballot even if they aren't in the poll book, ACLU states.

Election officials will investigate whether you are qualified to vote and registered - if you are, your provisional ballot will be counted.

If you are turned away or denied a provisional ballot, the ACLU recommends reporting the experience to local election officials or calling the Election Protection Hotline.

The hotline is run by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in case voters run into any issues on Election Day.

The hotline is available in several different languages - English, 1-866-687-8683; Spanish: 1-888-839-8682; Arabic: 1-844-925-5287; For Bengali, Cantonese, Hindi, Urdu, Korean, Mandarin, Tagalog, or Vietnamese: 1-888-274-8683.