By Mary O’KEEFE

The November election is about 12 weeks away and with COVID-19 restrictions expected to still be in place the Los Angeles County Registrar’s Office is keeping busy working to ensure voters can cast their ballots safely. All residents who have registered to vote in California will be receiving a vote-by-mail ballot for the November general election.

“If registered voters don’t receive vote-by-mail ballots, they should contact the [Registrar’s Office] as soon as possible if they would like us to issue a replacement,” stated Mike Sanchez, Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk spokesman.

Registered voters should now be receiving initial outreach from the Registrar’s Office. The mailed cards/letters state that if the voter’s information on the card is correct no other action need to be taken.

In-person voting will still be available in the November general election and voters will have the option to go to any Vote Center to cast their ballot. The Registrar’s Office sent out the cards to make certain its office has the correct address for voters.

“Safe and accessible vote centers will be available for in-person voting,” Sanchez said. “Like [in] the March primary, everyone who goes to a vote center will cast their ballots on the ballot marking device.”

The Registrar’s Office is working on enhancements to improve the selection process and speed up voting in-person. The enhancements include wait times on the vote center locator and issuing quick check-in codes.

All vote centers will follow state and LA County public health and safety guidelines including social distancing and wearing of facial coverings. Workers will also be constantly wiping down surfaces.

Voters are not required to re-register to receive a mail-in ballot; all voters will be issued one regardless of their previous status. It is very important, however, for voters to make certain the Registrar’s Office has their updated address on file.

Sanchez added it is a good idea for voters to check their registration status online prior to the election. The website to do this is https://lavote.net/vrstatus.

Normally the Registrar’s Office holds several outreach events to help voters with the new machines and answer questions regarding the process; however, due to COVID-19 restrictions, outreach will take place virtually.

“Our office will conduct a comprehensive large-scale multilingual media campaign,” Sanchez said of the efforts to reach all voters.

The office is planning on beginning the outreach sometime in September and will share information with voters regarding changes to voting in the times of COVID-19. The information will include voting options, like in-person and vote-by-mail, and provide necessary information on how to safely participate in the upcoming November election.

For more information, visit https://lavote.net or call (800) 815-2666. All LA County Registrar’s Offices are currently closed due to the pandemic.

  Mary Okeefe