LA Ballots Counted So Far Add Up To A Turnout Of About A Quarter Of Registered Voters. More Than 1M Ballots Still Need To Be Tallied

Whew. I’m so glad voting is behind us. Do it with me…breathe in, breathe out. Let’s all give ourselves a pat on the back for all the studying and prep work we did ahead of time to make sure we made informed decisions. Now, we (still) wait. There were, of course, some clear cut races where results were pretty immediate, like the governor’s race. But for many of the tight contests, like L.A. mayor, it may take days, or even weeks, to know who wins.

Why Counting May Take A While

There’s been an increase in registered voters choosing to vote via mail-in-ballot. The Los Angeles County Registrar tweeted about their process and explained that the bulk of ballots were mailed in. Processing and counting those ballots takes some time. Yesterday afternoon, the Registrar’s office issued an update about the outstanding ballots left to count.

Some quick things to keep in mind two days after Election Day:

• The ballots counted by Wednesday morning, add up to a turnout od more than 23% of registered voters. Those ballots include early main-in ballots and votes cast in-person at vote centers and on Tuesday. That turnout number will rise as more ballots are verified and added to the total.
• Slightly more people voted in person this time around than during the June primary.
• What used to be known as Election Day has turned into Election Month because of the time it takes to tally and process the increasing amount of mail-in-ballots. 
• This election season was the first time L.A. had a mayor’s race at the same time as the statewide elections. That’s because city officials changed the schedule to try to increase the number of folks who show up at the polls.

The L.A. vote count is scheduled for an update this Friday. New updates will be released every Tuesday and Friday up until Friday, Dec. 2. If needed, there will be an update on Monday, Dec. 5.

Read my colleague Elly Yu’s story for more information about voter turnout and stay up-to-date with the latest election results here.

As always, stay happy and healthy, folks. There’s more news below — just keep reading.

How To LA

We’re here to help curious Angelenos connect with others, discover the new, navigate the confusing, and even drive some change along the way.

Listen Now

More News

(After You Stop Hitting Snooze)

*At LAist we will always bring you the news freely, but occasionally we do include links to other publications that may be behind a paywall. Thank you for understanding! 

• It sure was nice to have some rain these past few days (and some areas even broke rainfall records). Unfortunately, my colleague Erin Stone reported the rain and snow would have to continue for it to really have an impact on our current drought crisis. What happens in the next few winter months with rain and snow falls is what really matters. 
• City Controller candidate Paul Koretz acknowledged his defeat in his race against Kenneth Meija, a certified public accountant.  The controller’s race doesn’t usually get a lot of public attention, but this election season it did. Why? Well, people are growing more interested in how money is being spent on policing and housing. 
• Of all the city council races, District 13 is probably the hottest. As of Wednesday night, incumbent Mitch O’Farrell was trailing newcomer and labor organizer Hugo Soto-Martinez in a tight contest. 
• Is there actually a crime wave? Well, the data portrays a nuanced picture, and there’s so many holes in the narrative that it’s hard to figure out what’s actually accurate to say. Also, racism could be embedded in the crime data people use. 
• Layoffs seem commonplace nowadays and Meta employees are the next victims right before the holidays. Meta, which is Facebook’s parent company, just announced that it's laying off 13% of its staff, which is about 11,000 jobs. 
• A quarter of U.S. adults live with a disability and experts say that many of them do not have long-term care plans in case family members are no longer able to help them access the social services they need. Here’s why researchers, government officials and advocates are concerned.
• The popular rapper Drake can’t seem to stay out of controversy, can he? Well, now Condé Nast, the publisher of Vogue magazine, is suing him and fellow rapper 21 Savage for using a fake Vogue cover to promote their album. 
• Starting from this day forward, I’m going to include Christine Ziemba’s "Best Things To Do This Weekend" on Thursdays AND Fridays…just in case people want to get jump on their plans Here’s an idea: visit the Lightscape L.A. at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden to see a really cool after-dark outdoor light installation. Check out all of the cool things to do this weekend here.

Wait! One More Thing...Cheap Fast Eats: Glendale Edition

Expand your horizons into the world of Georgian-style dumplings.

(

Brian Feinzimer

/

LAist

)

So, I’m not going to lie…I usually only go out to Glendale to go to that humongous three-floor Target in the Galleria nearly every week, but thanks to Gab Chabrán, LAist food and culture associate editor, I now have another reason: FOOD. He and my How to LA colleagues took a trip to a few restaurants last month to try out some burgers, breakfast burritos and bastrurma sujukh. Not sure what that is? Well, read all about Gab’s adventure in the latest edition of Cheap Fast Eats.

One meal that makes my tummy sing is dumplings. It looks like I now have a new place to try out my dough treats. The next time I go out to the Glendale area, I’m headed to Khinkali House for some Georgian-style dumplings. And yes, I’m talking about the country of Georgia (next door to Armenia).

Glendale’s large Armenian population means culinary dishes from the Caucasus region are served up all over the city. All I know is that I’m now craving every single kind of dumpling Khinkali House has: the raw meat, the vegan-friendly mushroom and the fried dumplings filled with cheese. 

I know I got your mouth salivating right now because mine sure is. If you want to feel like you’re on this culinary journey with Gab, listen to the latest How to LA podcast. In the most recent episode, he and host Brian De Los Santos eat fast and cheap and discuss all the deliciousness that can be found in Glendale. Listen here!