Registering / How to Vote / Sample Ballot / Language Assistance / Government Sites / Fact Checking / General Resources
Next Election: 11/3/20
Registering
Register to Vote by 10/19/20
Register here
Check if you’re already registered here
In California, people with misdemeanor convictions and those who have felony convictions but are on probation or done with parole can also vote. Source
Missed the voter registration deadline? You can still file a conditional ballot. Go to a Voting Center during the 11 day voting period and complete the Conditional Voter Registration, you will then be issued a CVR ballot to complete. Source
How to Vote
All registered voters will be mailed a Vote by Mail ballot. This ballot will be mailed out on 10/5/20
Return it:
- By mail – postmarked 11/3/20
- At any Vote by Mail drop box location. Locations
- At any L.A. County Vote Center. Locations
Vote in person at any Vote Center in the county. Vote Centers open 8AM to 5PM the 10 Days preceding the election and 7AM to 8PM on Election Day. Find location of Vote Centers
Make sure your ballot was received and counted here
Sample Ballot
A sample ballot is automatically mailed to registered voters 30 to 40 days prior to the election.
You can request a sample ballot be emailed to you here
You can access your sample ballot online with the Sample Ballot Look up here
You can use the Interactive Sample Ballot here
Voter Guide
Find California’s Official Voter Information Guide for the November 3, 2020 election here. This provides detailed information about state propositions.
Language Assistance
Need election information in other languages? Call the Bilingual Assistance Hotline: 1-800-815-2666, option 3 or visit the LA County Clerk’s Multilingual Services page here
Government Sites
The California Secretary of State’s Elections and Voter Information page offers many resources to help answer your questions. Find it here
Los Angeles Neighborhood Info handily tells you all your city service points of contact. It includes a representative list of each address covering city, county, school board, & state representatives with links to associated websites. Find it here
Federal Voting Assistance Program is a federal voting assistance for service members, their families, and overseas citizens. Provides access to election officials and voting assistance officers to help navigate the absentee voting process. Find it here
Learn about the Presidential election process, including the Electoral College, caucuses and primaries, and the national conventions here
The Federal Government has developed a list of common words used during election season and provides their meanings. Find it here
Fact Checking Using the Internet
Annenberg Political Fact Check – Designed to help voters by “monitoring the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases.” Updated even when it is not election season. Includes information on special interest groups behind television ads.
Newsguard -Browser extension that provides an easy way to evaluate websites. “Green-Red ratings compiled by a team of trained journalists signal if a website is trying to get it right, has a hidden agenda, or knowingly publishes falsehoods or propaganda.”
Politifact – A fact-checking website founded by the Tampa Bay Times and operated by the Poynter Institute.
General Resources
BallotReady – A nonpartisan site that allows you to build your ballot by diving into every candidate and referendum on your ballot including candidate’s backgrounds, stances on issues, and experience. BallotReady lets you “explore your ballot, make informed choices, and vote!”
Common Cause – Find your Representative provides a fairly comprehensive list of representatives that includes judges but does not extend as far down as City Council Member. It lists phone numbers and includes links to associated websites.
Federal Election Commission provides candidate, PAC, and party campaign finance summaries in their finance reports disclosure database. Regulations as part of the Federal Election Campaign Act are also explained.
The Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints series (online with your library card) contains information on nearly 5,000 current social topics in the forms of primary source documents, statistics, websites and multimedia. Access it from LAPL’s Research & Homework Page, alphabetically under G
GovTrak.us allows you to find your congressional district and your representative, track bills, ascertain the chairman of committees, peruse historical statistics on legislative action, and even build an app using the website's open source data.
OpenSecrets.org: Center for Responsive Politics is "a nonpartisan guide to money's influence on U.S. elections and public policy."
Project Vote Smart – A nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office.
TurboVote – A tool that makes voting easy by sending text or email messages verifying voter registration status, reminders about important election deadlines, and polling place location. Developed by the nonpartisan group Democracy Works.
Voter’s Edge – A tool that uses your address information to get you unbiased, detailed information about the candidates and issues that will be on your ballot. Produced by the League of Women Voters.
