Election Day is less than a month away, and a local community forum next week seeks to inform residents about the vote-by-mail process and the updated Voting Solutions for All People (VSAP) initiative.
The City of Long Beach announced a public event about the Nov. 6 statewide election, to be hosted by City Clerk Monique De La Garza and other Los Angeles County officials, on Oct. 16 from 5pm to 6pm at the City Council Chamber, 333 W. Ocean Blvd.
“We are excited for the public to see our newly redesigned vote-by-mail ballots for the upcoming Nov. 6 general election and to learn more about our efforts to modernize voting in LA County in 2020,” said Dean Logan, registrar of voters for LA County, in the Oct. 5 City press release.
According to vsap.lavote.net, the Los Angeles Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk developed VSAP in 2009 to “address an aging voting system and an increasing large and complex electorate.”
“Our office will continue to work closely with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk to provide local-election updates and the best service to voters,” De La Garza said in the release. “Our priority is to help Long Beach voters make their voices heard.”
In an Oct. 9 press release, California Secretary of State Alex Padilla’s office wrote that state voters who chose to vote by mail can expect to start receiving their ballots in the coming days. His office also wrote that, per State statistics, 67.7 percent of votes casted during the June 5, 2018, statewide primary election were vote-by-mail ballots.
“Voting by mail offers California voters a convenient, hassle-free way to participate in our elections,” Padilla said in the release. “As ballots begin to arrive, Californians should make a plan for how they will cast their ballot. Voting by mail allows California voters to complete their ballots in the comfort of their own homes and saves a trip to the polls on Election Day.”
The Long Beach City Clerk’s office provided the following key dates and information for California residents:
- Vote-by-mail ballot mailing and application period: Oct. 9 to Oct. 30
- Registration deadline for Election Day: Oct. 22
- Election Day: Nov. 6
- To register to vote: registertovote.ca.gov
- Checking voter-registration status: lavote.net/vrstatus
- Local polling places: lavote.net/locator
- County-district/precinct maps: lavote.net/precinctmap
Parking for the public Oct. 16 event will be available at the West Broadway Parking Garage, 332 W. Broadway. Visit longbeach.gov/cityclerk/ for more information about the voting process and the measures appearing on the Nov. 6 ballot. The City Clerk office can also be reached at (562) 570-6101.
