The June 8th Primary Election is less than a month away, however voters who wish to submit their ballot by mail may now do so. County elections officials began mailing ballots to the millions of Californian voters who have opted to vote by mail, and as an email sent out by the office of Secretary of State Debra Bowen notes, it has become "an increasingly popular choice" here.
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Vote-By-Mail Now Available for June 8 Primary Election
Today is the Last Day to Request a Vote-By-Mail Ballot
If you were planning on joining half of Californian voters this election season by voting by mail, then today is the last day to request a ballot. LA County's Registrar-Recorder's office has a web page where you can easily fill out the application and press submit--do so by midnight and you should be fine. If want to check up on your vote-by-mail status, they have a webpage for that too.
Half of State's Population Expected to Vote-By Mail
Are you part of the current and growing 40% of the Californian population that has chosen to vote-by-mail this election season? Although the nation's largest voting district, Los Angeles County, has the lowest number of the "absentee" voters at 20.6%, that number has increased by 32% more than the 2004 election. That leads way to worries of voter fraud and intimidation, but the two other continental states that share the Pacific Coast have practically done away with in-person voting: "Oregon led the way to the mailbox, doing away entirely with its polling places in 2000, after the passage of a voter initiative in 1998. Washington state is nearing 100% vote-by-mail," the LA Times says.
Election Q & A: Early Voting Clarifications
We've been receiving quite a few voting related questions, so keep on leaving comments asking more. Earlier, we tackled video and photography. Now we clarify some questions regarding Early Voting and Vote-by Mail.
Voting Registrations Break Records, Early Voting Continues
An estimated 4.2 million of the nearly 10 million residents in Los Angeles County are now registered to vote. On Monday alone, which was the last day to register to vote, almost 20,000 people took part. "The county has already issued 803,122 vote by mail ballots and more than 3,500 voters have visited the Registrar's office in Norwalk to cast early ballots for the presidential election," the Daily News finds.
Fact or Fiction: Absentee Ballots Don't Count Unless..
Here's one strange rumor that's going around. An LAist reader was told that her absentee ballot will not count unless it is needed in a tie breaker situation.
LAist Interview: Debra Cleaver of Long Distance Voter
Record numbers of Americans are casting their votes early, through early voting in-person or via absentee ballots. However, the absentee ballot process varies from state to state and can be immensely confusing. This year a few dedicated people set out to simplify the absentee voting process for Americans in all 50 states, and created Long Distance Voter -- a comprehensive website with information on each state's process for requesting absentee ballots, deadlines, and voting by mail. Of note, many states have simplified the process (for example California's Secretary of State's office has comprehensive information, and for those in Los Angeles County, and you've likely seen the billboards for LAVote.net around town).

