Mock election prepares OC voters for new voting system
SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- Voters in Orange County prepared for a change coming to the county's voting system during the last mock election before the primary.
In March, vote centers will replace traditional polling places.
OC Registrar of Voters Neal Kelley said there will be about 180 of them throughout the county.
"People have been voting one way for 40-plus years and they go to a garage in the same location. That's all going to change in March, so there's going to be a little bit of a transition period for people to adjust to the change. But once we get through that and they understand the benefits of vote centers, I think it far outweighs going back to an older system," Kelley said.
People eligible to vote can register and cast a ballot at any location, no matter where they live in OC.
"If I live in Laguna Beach, but I work in Anaheim, I can vote in Anaheim," Kelley said.
Richard Santana enjoyed the experience Tuesday.
"It was fast. It was easy," Santana said.
I wanted to prepare, so I got in line.
Tammy Kim took said it was every voter's responsibility to understand how to exercise this freedom.
"Voting is like the No. 1 right we have as Americans and to be able to understand how this change impacts us as citizens and as residents is really important," Kim said.
With the guidance of center staff and ballot scanners recording our choices, our mock votes counted.
"It was so easy that I thought I made a mistake along the way," Kim said.
"After this I'm going to go on social media, put a post on and hopefully encourage more of my friends to come by and learn the process," Santana said.
Vote-by-mail ballots go out Feb. 3. All voters in Orange County will get one this year.
