In-Person Voting Opens At 118 Locations Saturday Including Staples Center, Forum
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Beginning Saturday, Los Angeles County voters can vote in-person at several locations.
Staples Center is one of the 118 voting locations in L.A. County that will officially open Saturday and the county has made many changes to make sure voters feel safe.
"We want voters to know that it is safe to come and vote," said L.A. County Registrar Dean Logan.
Logan spoke at the Banc of California Stadium kick-off event Friday, one of several large venues that will be used as a vote center.
"We feel like it is our calling to do all we can to make sure our community can vote safely and confidently in this pandemic," L.A. Football Club Co-President Larry Freedman said at the Banc of California Stadium event.
Banc of California Stadium, Dodgers Stadium and Staples Center don't open until next Friday, but Staples Center, The Forum and several other major venues will be open starting Oct. 24.
The county said using the large venues will help with crowds after many voters were left waiting for hours in March.
"We did have some struggles with that," said Logan. "Not so much with equipment but logistics and operations. We worked really hard, all hands on deck every day since that election to improve that process."
Every voting station will be separated by at least six feet. When it comes time to vote, poll volunteers will be wiping off each station in between use. Hand sanitizer, gloves and masks will also be available to any voter who wants them.
"We expect high voter turnout in this election and we place priority on the protection and health and safety of our voters and election workers," Logan said.
In fact, the county is already seeing record numbers.
This month, 5.7 million registered voters were sent mail-in ballots. So far, one and a half million ballots are already back. With more than half being dropped off at a dropbox, election results may be determined more quickly than usual.
"In this election, a little different than what we've seen before, after 8 p.m. on election night, those votes we produce will be a fairly significant sampling of our entire county," Logan said.
People can vote in person until 8 p.m. on November 3, or make sure their ballot is postmarked by the same day.
Starting Saturday, the 118 polling sites will open and all 791 polling sites will be open by October 30.
In L.A. County, registered voters can vote at any location they chose.