Election Day has arrived — so get out there and vote.
Unless, that is, you’ve already used one of the myriad other ways to cast your ballot ahead of time.
Los Angeles County’s vote centers opened at 7 a.m. today — Election Day — and they won’t close until 8 p.m.
The 2024 presidential election, between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, has understandably grabbed the biggest headlines nationwide, considering all the fraught and controversial twists that race has endured this year.
But there’s plenty more on your ballots, from the U.S. Senate race between Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, and his Republican challenger, Steve Garvey; to local races for city council and school board.
Every registered voter should have received a mail-in ballot by now. So if you’re the in-person kind of voter, you can still see what’s on your ballot ahead of time.
Below is everything you need to know if you haven’t yet cast your ballot. But for more information, you can check out our website and online voter guide.
Where and when to vote
If you haven’t voted yet, now is the time.
The deadline to cast your ballot at a vote center is 8 p.m. today.
There are nearly 600 vote centers open across Los Angeles County today, from Long Beach to Pasadena, and voters can cast ballots at any of them — so if it’s more convenient to vote on your lunch break, you can do so. You can also drop off your vote-by-mail ballots at any vote center or the Los Angeles County registrar’s office.
Just make sure you do so by 8 p.m.
You can also place your mail-in ballots in any of the hundreds of drop boxes scattered around the county. Those drop boxes, like vote ceenters, will close at 8 p.m.
To find a vote center or drop box near you, go to lavote.gov.
If for some reason, you can’t get to a vote center or drop box, don’t fret — there’s one more option for you: You can still vote by mail.
That’s right, just drop your mail-in ballot into a mailbox or swing by your local post office. There’s just one caveat: those ballots must be postmarked by Election Day, so this is still your last chance to cast your ballot.
Now, ballots must arrive at the registrar’s office within seven days of the election. But that shouldn’t be a problem: The United States Postal Service prioritizes election-related mail during election season.
By the way, did you know you can track your ballot? That’s right, just go to california.ballottrax.net/voter and subscribe to “Where’s My Ballot”?
What if I’m not registered?
If you only became interested in voting within the last couple of days — or aren’t sure if you’re registered — that’s not a problem.
While the deadline to register before Election Day has passed, the registrar’s office offers same-day registration at vote centers. Just go to the most-convenient vote center, and tell them you’d like to register and vote.
Now, these ballots are not entirely the same as those who are already registered. Any registered voter who cast a ballot at a vote center today, will have their votes counted later than night, after polls close. But if you do same-day registration, you’ll vote conditionally — meaning the registrar must confirm you’re eligible to vote.
That’s not too big of a deal, though. All that means is your ballot will be counted during the official canvas period, rather than on election night. But trust us, it will be counted — every eligible ballot will be.
What happens on election night?
So, once the polls close at 8 p.m., that’s when the real fun starts — or, depending on your perspective, the anxiety.
The results of the election will be updated on the registrar’s website. The first batch of results will come around 8:30 p.m. and will include only vote-by-mail ballots received by Election Day. The next round, which will follow shortly after the first, will include ballots cast at vote centers before Election Day.
After that, the registrar will provide continual updates throughout the night until all ballots cast at vote centers on Election Day — not counting conditional ones — are counted. After that, the results will become semi-official.
But that, as the name suggests, does not mean the results are final.
What follows will be the official canvas, during which the registrar’s office will count all outstanding ballots. The canvas must be completed within 30 days.
The registrar’s office is tentatively scheduled to certify the election on Dec. 3.
For more information, go to lavote.gov.
