Registrar's Office Reports More Than 13% Of LA County Voters Have Cast Their Ballots
NORWALK (CBSLA) -- As the November 3 election nears, many voters are opting to cast their ballots early.
On Saturday, people drove from Baldwin Hills, Inglewood and other locations to drop off their ballots for the general election at the Los Angeles County Registrar's Headquarters in Norwalk.
It wasn't business as usual for some voters, who are making sure they get their votes out before Election Day.
"I've never voted this early before", said Inglewood resident Carmen Hooker.
The Registrar's office said as of Friday, more than 771,000 ballots have been returned, which accounts for more than 13% of registered voters in L.A. County.
"We planned this about two months. We were waiting to get our ballots in the mail," said one voter.
Forty-five percent of the ballots that have been returned came from drop-off boxes, officials aid
"We're really looking about four-times the amount of turn-out of what we would've seen at the same date both 2 years ago as well as 4 years ago in the election," said Dean Logan of the Registrar's Office
The pandemic has contributed to voters relying on mail-in voting, and has also led to some cautions from officials about making sure drop boxes are official voting locations.
For a list of official drop boxes in O.C. click here. For a list of official drop boxes in L.A. County, click here.
If you're going to drop off your ballot or send it through the mail, make sure you seal the outside envelope, sign the back where it's marked with the red "X" with a signature matching your DMV record.
In-person voting will start at select vote centers next Saturday, and all of them will be available beginning October 30.
Starting Monday, you can vote in person at the Registrar's Office in Norwalk seven days a week through Election Day.
Officials with the Registrar's Office said they have enough staff to cover the voter turnout in each of its voting locations.
