By Mary O’KEEFE

The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Office is getting ready for the big night – Nov. 8 – but workers at the RRCC have been working steadily for some time as mail-in ballots arrive and early voting has begun.

The criteria to vote in California are, according to the California Secretary of State, a person must be a United States citizen, 18 years of age or older on Election Day, not currently imprisoned or on parole for the conviction of a felony and not currently found to be mentally incompetent by a court of law. A person must be a resident of California and this may include a person who is living out of the country but last lived in the state, or a citizen who was born out of the country but whose parent or legal guardian was a resident of California when they were last living within the limits of the U.S. or D.C. and had not previously register in another state.

Those criteria are verified through the RRCC.

There are several ways voters can cast their ballots from now until Nov. 8. One is to vote by mail. This process has already started with Vote By Mail drop-off beginning on Oct. 11 and running through Nov. 7. Voters who wish to use this method can do so by going online at www.lavote.net. An application for the ballot can be made online or printed and mailed. The last day to submit a Vote By Mail ballot is Nov. 1. Voters can also call (800) 815-2666 or (562) 462-1323. Once the ballot is completed, make certain it is signed then it can either be mailed or dropped off at a number of locations. The closest locations to Crescenta Valley are in Burbank, 275 E. Olive Ave. with hours Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Glendale, 613 E. Broadway, Ste. 110 with hours Monday-Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Pasadena, 100 N. Garfield, Room S228 with hours Monday-Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Pasadena is closed Friday, Oct. 14 and 28.

Another way to vote is by Weekend Early Voting. With this method the RRCC is offering weekend early voting for Nov. 8 at five locations throughout L.A. County on the two weekends prior to Nov. 8. This provides a “convenient, in-person option” according to RRCC. Early Voting will be on Oct. 29 and Oct. 30, and Nov. 5 and Nov. 6 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Of the five locations the closest to the CV area is North Hollywood Regional Library, 5211 Tujunga Ave., North Hollywood.

And then there is the “old fashioned way” of voting – walking into the polling place, getting the ballot, going into the booth and, after deciding on the candidates, propositions and measures, dropping the completed ballot into the lock box and then getting an “I Voted” sticker.

One question that RRCC is often asked concerns provisional voting. This type of voting has been used in California since 1984. Provisional voting is used when issues occur including when a name is not found on the roster, a voter appears to be at the wrong polling place, a voter appears to have been issued a Vote By Mail ballot but has not surrendered that ballot or the roster states “new” and a voter does not provide identification.

It is important for voters to not give up if they arrive at a polling place and find there are issues with their ballot or registration. Voting provisional allows RRCC employees to look into the situation and investigate to clarify the issues.

Both political parties are encouraging voters to get to the polls and make their voices heard. There are several propositions that will guide the state’s future in several important areas from the death penalty to the legalization of marijuana. For local residents there are no incumbents running for the L.A. County supervisor’s office, state senate and assembly. Other races include U.S. senator, U.S. representative, several judge candidates, Measures A, M and GC.

Sample ballots and other voting information can be found at www.lavote.net

The last date to register to vote in the Nov. 8 election is Oct. 24.

  Mary Okeefe