Upcoming Elections
Information compiled by Bella De Soto and Nia Asante
At the “LAVOTE” Website, https://www.lavote.net/, you find many resources; how to register to vote, requirements of scheduled time lines to vote, Local State and City Elections and primaries, National Presidential primaries and Elections, and special Elections. This site is maintained by the LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, P.O. Box 30450, Los Angeles, CA 90030-0450; (562) 466-1323. If you live in another county, go to the state website at the bottom of this article, which can link you to other counties.
National Presidential Primaries and elections are different from state and local primary elections. The rules of national presidential primaries are determined by each party as to who may vote in their party’s primary for a slate of people pledged to a nominee.
In California, June 5, 2018 is the Statewide Direct Primary Election for state-wide offices such as governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general, United States Senator, and for state legislative seats in the Assembly and State Senate, as well as seats in the US House of Representatives (Congress). These elections are carried out under the rules of Prop. 14, adopted in 2010.
Proposition 14 was a state constitutional amendment that effectively transformed California’s non-Presidential elections from one in which each party’s registered voters selected a candidate to represent their party, into a nonpartisan blanket primary (similar to a two-round system) to narrow the entire field of candidates to the “top two” regardless of party. The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California (ACLU-NC) Board of Directors voted overwhelmingly to oppose Proposition 14 “based upon the ACLU’s strong interest in the value and rights of political parties, including third parties, and the potential infringement upon these.” Only the top two vote-getters in the primary, regardless of their partisan affiliations, advance to the general election. The system took effect on January 1, 2011, and was used for the first time in a special election for State Senate District 17 and State Senate District 28 on February 15, 2011
It sounds noble to list all candidates on one Ballot, to allow voters to select their desired candidate. However, since the 3rd Party Candidates can not compete with Democrats and Republicans, if they do not get enough support in this round, they are wiped out immediately. They will not be able to participate in the General Elections! These candidates will not be listed on the November 6, General Election ballot! How’s this fair, I ask. Completely choked out of air without recourse. We are now entering another Primary Election cycle, but unfortunately the electorate (those registered to vote) have no clue of the political impact Prop 14 had on 3rd Parties. Third Parties such as Peace & Freedom and the Green Party do not have the enormous financial resources as corporate parties, that control elections nationwide (the Democratic and Republican Parties)! So conveniently, the result was to make it even more difficult for the smaller parties to challenge the top-Two Parties! Socialists are thereby kept off the general election ballot when many more people vote, but their choice has already been narrowed down to just two by the primary.
Why not change this pattern? If you wish to change the sick system, now is time to exercise an intelligent vote. How about voting your conscience for once? You can reach me at <bella@bellads.info> to discuss this.
Here are the Upcoming Elections in LA County, as reported by httpss://www.lavote.net/home/voting-elections/current-elections/upcoming-elections. Go to each website to learn more about upcoming elections. Available voter and candidate information vary by election. The Registrar Recorder/County Clerk does not conduct all elections in Los Angeles County — only those listed here (for example, municipal elections in many cities are not listed).
June 5, 2018 Statewide Direct Primary Election
June 5, 2018 Assembly Districts 39 and 45 Special General Elections (to fill unexpired term of Assembly members who resigned)
June 5, 2018 Long Beach City General Municipal (Run-Off) Election
July 24, 2018 Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association Election
November 6, 2018 General Election
There is no waiting period to register to vote. You may register or re-register to vote at any time. To
be eligible to vote in an election, you must have registered 15 days before Election Day. In order to vote in the Tuesday, June 5 primary election, you must register by Monday, May 21.
All voters in LA County have the option to vote by mail. A Vote by Mail (VBM) Ballot is mailed to voters, who can mail back the ballot or to drop off the ballot at a polling place on Election Day. Please note VBM ballots postmarked by Election Day will be counted if received within three days by the Registrar Recorder/County Clerk (under CA Senate Bill 29). The return postage required for a Vote by Mail ballot is a single first class stamp.
Voters who wish to vote by mail must submit a written request for a ballot no later than 7 days prior to election day. If you will be unable to vote at the polls on Election Day, promptly complete and sign the application for a Vote by Mail Ballot and return it to the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk address above.
Voted Ballots can be returned to your polling location on Election day.
To sign up to be a Poll Worker Election Day (6am-8pm), call (800) 815-2666, #7. For more information about being a poll worker, see httpss://www.lavote.net/home/voting-elections/pollworker-information/become-a-pollworker/about-pollworkers
Important Polling Place Information: If a voter declares under oath that they are unable to mark a ballot, that voter may receive assistance in marking their ballot by two (2) persons of their selection. (E.C. § 14282)
To find your Voting Poll go here: httpss://www.lavote.net/Locator/ That site also allows you to look up your sample ballot. Other information is here: https://www.lavote.net/home/voting-elections/current-elections/find-my-election-information
Under the CA Secretary of State’s office, there is a provision to register to vote online here: httpss://registertovote.ca.gov/ You can also get more information about registering to vote, or registering others to vote at the following URLs: httpss://www.calvoter.org, and https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/votecal-project/ VoteCal has been implemented to provide a single, uniform, centralized voter registration database that meets applicable Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002 requirements. VoteCal’s many functions improve service to the voters of California by: Connecting the Secretary of State and all 58 county elections offices together to improve the voter registration process; Providing a publicly available website which will allow voters to register online; and Providing a single, official statewide database of voter registration information. You can find links there to county information, schedules and other information.
