The End is in Sight

This has been a contentious election season with a high number of qualified candidates vying for a variety of offices. We at CV Weekly have been proud to remind you, through the advertising placed by some of the candidates and through the many articles we’ve written, of the importance of the March 3 elections. Reporters Julie Butcher, Justin Hager and Mary O’Keefe have written extensively on what and whom you can find on the ballot and provided information that will educate our voters so they can confidently go into the ballot box to cast their votes.

But wait. The traditional “ballot box” is no more; LA County this year is offering a newer, more modern way to vote. The new voting “experience,” Voting Solutions for All People, was rolled out earlier this year to mixed reactions and a lot of confusion. Some of our local legislators, specifically State Senator Anthony Portantino, Assemblymember Laura Friedman and LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, along with CV Weekly, are hosting a demonstration of the new voting system on Monday night, Feb. 24, at Sadler Hall at St. Luke’s of the Mountains, 2563 Foothill Blvd. (at Rosemont Avenue) at 6:30 p.m. Representatives from the LA County Registrar’s office will be on-site to answer questions.

Several local organizations have hosted demonstrations after it was obvious that there were questions on how voters would transition to this new way of voting. Not surprisingly, rumors abound; among them that ballots could be “hacked” and votes for an issue or measure could be reassigned by a political person or party. Another I found on social media was the claim by some voters that their party affiliation had been hijacked. The claim was that the DMV changed it when their driver’s license was renewed. It was suggested that voters visit https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/ to find out if any shenanigans took place with their political party affiliation. (I did; nothing had been changed.)

As late as Friday, Feb. 14, NBC reported that “LA. County Registrar Dean Logan, who is in charge of the system, said the majority of the security flaws have been fixed, and the county has complied with the requirements set out by California Secretary of State Alex Padilla. Padilla just last month approved the system for use in the Democratic primaries so long as certain conditions are met.”

My advice? Check your voter status on the website above and on Monday night come find out how to use the new voting system. It promises to be an “experience” you won’t forget.

And hold tight; the end of this election cycle is near.

  robin goldsworthy