Support for LAist comes from
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Stay Connected
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Listen

Share This

News

LA County's Registrar Responds To Trump Claims About The 25th District Special Election

()

With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today. 

As you may have heard, there’s a special election for Katie Hill’s former House of Representatives seat coming up on Tuesday (as in tomorrow) in North L.A. and eastern Ventura counties.

Last week, local Democrats complained that the City of Lancaster, where a high proportion of African American residents live, didn’t have an in-person vote center for the election. The local party and the campaign for Democratic candidate Christy Smith said this could disenfranchise voters of color.

On Friday, the county announced it would open a new polling place in Lancaster for the second weekend of early voting, and for Election Day, in addition to the 12 total planned for Los Angeles and Ventura parts of the district.

Now Republicans are crying foul: Party officials say the last-minute addition of a vote center is a dirty power play by Democrats hoping to hold on to the seat the party flipped in 2018.

Support for LAist comes from

“They are desperate and trying to change the rules to steal an election,” said GOP candidate Mike Garcia on Twitter.

And there was also this:

L.A. County Registrar Dean Logan responded today on our local news show, Take Two, which airs on 89.3 KPCC.

Logan said Lancaster’s Republican Mayor, R. Rex Parris, and other community members asked for the new location, and that critics were engaging in “selective outrage.”

“We’re unapologetic about providing opportunities to vote,” he said, adding the new vote center had nothing to do with politics. “It’s serving all voters. Our process has no relevance for who the person is voting for, it’s about making sure they have that opportunity.”

The counties mailed every voter in the district a ballot, and most will either turn them in to a secure drop box or mail them back. For those who need to go to an in-person center — either for disability access, language help, same-day registration or any other reasons — Logan said spreading out voters over more locations will also be safer during the pandemic.

Support for LAist comes from

GO DEEPER:

Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.

At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.

But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.

We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.

Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist