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Voting enthusiasm has increased significantly on the eve of elections in Southern California. The crowd at Glendura polling station is continuously increasing. Mail-in and in-person ballots continue to increase in Los Angeles and Orange counties. California also allows voters to take voting selfies but they must respect privacy.
Southern California state votersvote The excitement is increasing. On the eve of the official polling day for the general election on the 3rd, a large number of voters have appeared at polling stations in various locations to vote in person. The reporter visited a polling station on Central Valley Avenue in Glendora on the afternoon of the 2nd. There were several vehicles in the parking lot and about 20 staff members assisting voters. There was a rush of people in front of about 40 voting machines and the atmosphere was heated. Only three hours before polling stations closed that day, more than 1,000 voters had been counted, staff said. Data reports that this year is better than last yearmidterm elections The number of votes cast the night before on Sunday (2022) increased by about 10 lakh compared to the same period.
Tom Johnson, a white staff member who volunteers at the polling station, said he has participated in polling station services many times before, but this year he clearly felt that voters were especially enthusiastic about voting. Take for example the Central Valley Avenue polling station where he works, the rush of people voting continued last weekend. Although the 2nd was a Monday, the number of voters who came to vote from the morning opening till 4 pm was estimated to be up to 1,200. He said that there are five polling stations in Grandola city.
Johnson said that although reports have suggested mail-in voting is much more common this year, given the crowds he sees at polling stations, many voters still choose to vote in person. “Tomorrow will be a big day.” He estimates that the official voting day, the 3rd, will be the peak of the crowd.
This reporter arrived at the Central Valley Avenue Voting Center in Glendura at around 4 pm on the 2nd to vote. The overall process was orderly, and it took about 10 to 15 minutes for many voters to register, receive their ballots, and complete their voting.
The reporter actually experienced the voting equipment currently in use in Los Angeles County. First of all the employees confirmed the name and address of the voter. The staff also asked voters to report their birthday. After confirming that the file information was correct, a blank ballot with the voter’s name was issued. After voters cast their ballots into the voting machine, they select candidates and referendum issues one by one through the touch screen. After completing the selection, the machine will display the voter’s voting decision again for the voter’s confirmation; After confirming that it is correct, click the print option, and the machine will print a paper ballot recording the selection result. After completing the final process, the system displays that the vote was successful.
-California allows “voting selfies” this year but they shouldn’t invade other people’s privacy-
Another phenomenon that has attracted attention in this year’s voting is that voters can take photos as souvenirs for themselves after voting, or what are commonly known as “ballot selfies”.
Unlike some states that ban ballot selfies, voters can voluntarily disclose how they voted, or they can take photos of their completed ballots and share them on social media, according to California Elections Code Section 14291.
However, this right does not mean that voters can take photographs at the polling station. Election officials can still ban filming that might interfere with voting, harass other voters, or invade someone’s privacy.
The reporter observed at the Grandula Voting Center that the on-site staff allowed voters to take their own photos, and the staff also helped voters take photos, but they were specifically reminded not to take photos of other voters, so as not to violate other people’s privacy, or accidentally expose other people’s voting choices or personal information.
Nearly 1.4 million Los Angeles County ballots have been processed, 90% of which were cast by mail
As of Nov. 1, Los Angeles County has processed nearly 1.4 million ballots, about 24% of the more than 5.9 million registered voters in the county, according to the latest data released by LAist on Nov. 2. About 90% of them voted by mail, and about 10% voted in person at polling stations.
As of the morning of November 2, Orange County had processed 613,165 ballots, about 32% of registered voters, of whom about 92.1% voted by mail and about 7.7% voted in person.
Los Angeles County adopts a vote center system for this election. Voters can vote at any open polling station in the county and are not limited to designated polling stations near their homes. The opening hours of polling stations at various locations on the official polling day of the general election on the 3rd will be from 7 am to 8 pm.
The election unit reminded that eligible voters who have not yet voted can go to the polling station to vote in person on the 3rd, or they can cast their completed postal ballots into the official ballot box. If California voters miss the normal registration period, they can still complete registration and vote through the on-site registration process on Election Day.
