More than one way to cast a ballot

Whether you vote early or push it until right before the polls close, there's a way to make your voice heard.

Voting is not a spectator sport, and there’s no need for Los Angeles County residents to feel left out, even in a battleground-state-obsessed election like this one.

Early voting is getting lots of attention in other parts of the country, and you can do it here, too.

The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder’s office in Norwalk is open for early voting now through Election Day, with weekday hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and this Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The address is 12400 Imperial Highway, Norwalk, 90650.

More than 1.2 million county voters requested absentee ballots for this election. If you haven’t mailed yours in yet, be sure to do so by Thursday, November 1; absentee ballots must be received (not just postmarked) by the time polls close on Election Day. If you’re in any doubt about making the deadline,  just drop your ballot off in person at any polling place on Election Day.

Polls will be open on Tuesday, November 6, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. To find your polling place, go to www.lavote.net or call (800) 815-2666.

You can also check the same website to make sure you’re registered. If you’re one of the thousands who registered right before the deadline, your information may not have been entered into the system yet. Don’t worry! Find your polling place by clicking here, and go ahead and vote.

You will be offered a provisional ballot, which will be counted once your eligibility is verified.

“At this stage of the game, we’re encouraging people to just show up and vote,” said Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan. “If there’s an issue—if there were data entry errors in your form or if it was late getting to us—we can research those issues during the post-election canvass period. But if you don’t show up and vote we can’t fix it.”

He said that 90% of all provisional ballots in California are determined eligible and end up being counted.

Even with a tight presidential race whose outcome is likely to be determined elsewhere, casting a ballot here is vitally important, not only to contribute to the popular vote nationally but also to weigh in on important state and county measures, along with local races. With so many options, there’s really no good excuse not to vote.

“When people say your vote doesn’t count because you’re from California—well, it absolutely does count,” Logan said. “It has meaning and it’s important for you to show up and be counted.”

Posted 10/31/12