Get ready to vote

• When does in-person voting begin in LA County?
• When does in-person voting begin in Orange County?
• What if I'm in line when the polls close?
• Can I cast my ballot anywhere? Where do I go?
• What about accessible voting?
• Do I need to bring ID?
• What is a provisional ballot?
• Who do I contact if I still have voter registration questions?

While California has made it very easy to vote by mail, voting in person at a Vote Center, also known as a polling station or polling site, remains an option. At Vote Centers, you'll be able to get help in multiple languages, use accessible voting machines, register to vote, make changes to your voter registration and more.

Here’s everything you need to know about voting in person, guided by the questions we've received here at LAist.

And if you have a question that’s not being addressed, ask us! You can submit your question by using the form at the bottom of this story. The Voter Game Plan team will do our best to get you an answer.

When does in-person voting begin in LA County?

L.A. County in-person voting is now underway at the Registrar’s office in Norwalk, located at 12400 Imperial Highway.

Additional select Vote Centers open on Saturday, Oct. 24, with all in-person polling locations open by Saturday, Oct. 31.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. That is also the final day to vote in person, return your ballot or have it postmarked. On this day, Vote Centers are open for extended hours from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

L.A. County is still compiling its list of voting locations and hours, which will be published online soon. At that time, you can find information about your polling place through this link.

You can find the L.A. County Vote Center nearest you by putting your address in this lookup tool.

Language assistance is available in 23 languages:

• All Vote Centers: Armenian | Bengali | Burmese | Chinese | Cambodian/Khmer | Farsi | Filipino/Tagalog | Gujarati | Hindi | Indonesian | Japanese | Korean | Mongolian | Russian | Spanish | Telugu | Thai | Vietnamese
  
• Select Vote Centers: Hmong | Laotian | Nepali | Punjabi | Urdu

When does in-person voting begin in Orange County?

Orange County in-person voting begins at select locations Saturday, Oct. 24, with all Vote Centers open the following week on Saturday, Oct. 31. These polling locations will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Monday, Nov. 2.

Orange County is also hosting pop-up voting locations beginning on Sunday, Oct. 25. A complete schedule of these locations is available here.

The last day to submit a ballot or vote in person in Orange County is Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3. All Orange County Vote Centers will be open on Election Day for extended hours, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

To use the Orange County mapping tool to find your nearest polling location, click here.

For a complete list of Orange County Vote Center locations, click here.

Translated ballots are available in some locations for Farsi, Hmong, Indonesian, Japanese, Khmer, Nepali, Punjabi and Tagalog.

What if I'm in line when the polls close?

If you're in line when the polls close, just stay in line, and you will be able to cast your ballot.

Can I cast my ballot anywhere? Where do I go?

If you live in L.A. or Orange counties, or any other Voter’s Choice Act county, you can vote in person at any polling place or Vote Center in your county.

You cannot vote in person in a county other than the one in which you are registered to vote.

What about accessible voting?

Vote Centers offer accessible voting machines with adjustable angles, ballot-marking devices, step-by-step assistance and more.

Voters who are blind may have access to an audio ballot and controller pad. Voters who have difficulty reading the ballot can adjust text size and screen contrast while voting.

Worker assistance, including curbside voting, is available at all Vote Centers. Outside the Vote Center, a sign will list a phone number to call an election worker on-site. They will bring a ballot to your vehicle and provide any other step-by-step assistance as needed.

Here are additional resources to learn more about accessible voting in L.A. County and Orange County.

Do I need to bring ID?

No, not usually (although an initiative to change that is on your ballot this election). But the California Secretary of State says there is an exception right now:

If you are voting for the first time after registering to vote by mail and did not provide your driver's license number, California identification number or the last four digits of your social security number on your registration form, you may be asked to show a form of identification when you go to the polls.

Officials advise voters who fall into this category to bring "a copy of a recent utility bill, the sample ballot booklet you received from your county elections office or another document sent to you by a government agency." You can also use a legal ID (passport, driver's license, official state ID card, or student identification).

What is a provisional ballot?

A provisional ballot is a ballot you cast when additional information about you needs to be verified before your vote can be counted. This most often comes up when you do same-day voter registration, or there is an error with your voter registration.

Provisional ballots are placed in pink envelopes, secured for processing and then counted after election officials have confirmed your voter information.

Provisional ballots have been used in California since 1984. According to the California Secretary of State, on average, 85% to 90% of provisional ballots were valid and counted in prior elections.

• Learn more about provisional voting in L.A. County.
• Learn more about provisional voting in Orange County

Who do I contact if I still have voter registration questions?

Call the California Secretary of State voting hotline at (800) 345-VOTE (8683), or email elections@sos.ca.gov. If you need to speak with someone in a language other than English, you can find those contact numbers here.

You can also contact your local county elections office.

This story was written by Caitlin Biljan and published in 2022. It has been updated multiple times since with the most recent information.