This is the first year Californians will have a voice in the early primaries. Be part of California’s political history. Whichever Voting Center you choose to place your vote, this is the time to make your voice heard in a way that will impact the 2020 election.
The Los Angeles Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk has done away with voting on a single day. Under the new system, you can vote over an 11-day period on touch screens at regional voting centers. Topangans can choose to vote in person at the Topanga Library or at a Vote Center closer to work or school.
WHERE TO VOTE
In Topanga, the library is your voting center and will be available from Feb. 22 to March 3. Hours are February 22-March 2, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.; March 3, 7 a.m.–8 p.m. The Topanga Library is located at 122 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga, CA 90290. NOTE: You may also submit your mail-in ballot and deliver it in person at the voting drop box at the Topanga Library.
For Topangans with disabilities and seniors, there will be voting on February 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Topanga Community Center (TCC) SAGES Room where there will be people who have been trained to assist voters with the new voting machines.
For more Voting locations, consult your “Vote Center Locations” guide or www.lavote.net.
IMPORTANT DEADLINES:
- Any registered voter in Los Angeles County can now cast their vote at any voting center over a four to 11-day period, depending on the location.
- You can vote in person from February 22 to March 3 (check individual voting centers for dates).
- In Los Angeles County, the deadline for registering online to vote has passed; it was February 18.
- The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot is February 25.
- If you miss these deadlines, you can still conditionally register at any polling place or vote center statewide, all the way up through Election Day, March 3.
- If you register to vote on the day you vote, you will probably have to cast a provisional ballot, which means your information will need to be verified before your vote is counted.
For more information online: https://www.lavote.net/contact-us/contact-us.
WHEN DO I NEED TO SUBMIT MY VOTE-BY-MAIL BALLOT FOR THE PRIMARY?
It must be postmarked no later than midnight, March 3, 2020, primary election day, in order to be counted. You can also drop off your vote-by-mail ballot at any L.A. County Voting Center, as well as at the Topanga Library, which has a locked ballot box.
HOW TO VOTE
The Voting Solutions for All People project was developed by the Los Angeles Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk to make voting easier and more accessible than ever before. The new Ballot Marking Devices will feature a touch screen that enables any voter to easily navigate the ballot by advancing through different screens showing lists of candidates and ballot measures.
Important! For races with many candidates, select “More” to read the full list.
- For those with vision impairment or reading disabilities, an “audio and controller experience” guides voters through their options with a push of a few simple buttons.
- Voters who prefer to read the ballot in a different language—Spanish, Chinese, Korean or any one of the 12 languages supported by the county—can choose their preference on the same machine.
- Once they’ve tapped in their selections on the device, they receive a printed paper ballot that goes into an integrated ballot box (the use of a traceable paper ballot is still mandated by law).
Voters can also mark their votes on their cell phones when it’s convenient, then go to a Vote Center to transfer their selections from their phones to paper ballots and cast their ballots in a ballot box.
For more information and more details: lavote.net/home/voting-elections/voting-options/new-voting-experience/
NONPARTISAN VOTERS
If you are a nonpartisan voter—formerly listed as “decline to state,” and you wish to participate in the presidential primary, you may request a ballot from the Democratic, Libertarian or American Independent party in person at the voting center. The Republican presidential primary is closed to nonpartisan voters. Nonpartisan voters who opt to vote by mail must fill out and return the postcard provided by the county registrar and included with the voter’s mail-in ballot, requesting either a Democratic, Libertarian or American Independent ballot.
WHO AND WHAT IS ON THE BALLOT:
- United States Representative (District 33): Democratic incumbent Representative Ted Lieu is being challenged by two Democrats: Topanga resident Liz Barris, listed as the director of a non profit; and Albert Maxwell Goldberg of Malibu, whose profession isn’t listed; Non-partisan candidate Kenneth W. Wright, a surgeon/physician/scientist from Los Angeles; and Republican Sarah Sun Liew, a CEO from Beverly Hills.
- California State Senator (District 27): Incumbent Sen. Henry Stern is being challenged by Republican candidate Housman Salen, a North Hollywood business owner.
- California State Assembly (District 50): Incumbent Democrat Richard Bloom is being challenged by Democratic candidates Jim King, a Topanga local; and Will Hess, listed on the ballot as a West Hollywood writer, director and producer.
- L.A. County District Attorney: Incumbent Jackie Lacey is being challenged by public defender Rachel Rossi, and former San Francisco DA and assistant LAPD police chief George Gascón.
- STATE PROPOSITION 13: Bonds for public education facilities. For more information, go to www.lavote.net
- L.A. COUNTY MEASURE D: 911 firefighter/paramedic emergency response measure. More information is on the L.A. County Fire Department’s website: www.fire.lacounty.gov.
- L.A. COUNTY MEASURE R: Los Angeles County Civilian Oversight Commission Ordinance. For more information: www.lavote.net.
For more information on the election, consult your official Sample Ballot mailed to each household for how to vote, where to vote, the full list of candidates and measures, or go online at www.lavote.net.
RESOURCES:
- Explore options with these sources:
- Los Angeles County Democratic Party (LACDP), (lacdp.org/endorsements)
- Los Angeles County Republican Party (LAGOP), (lagop.org/elections)
- League of Women Voters of California (cavotes.org)
- Progressive Democrats of the Santa Monica Mountains—Dorothy Reik, President (pdsmm.org)
- California Secretary of State, (sos.ca.gov)
Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. sos.ca.gov
