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How do I register to vote?
The deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 3 general election was Oct. 19. But don't panic. Even if you missed that deadline, you still have options.
How do I vote in person?
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 opened Saturday, Oct. 24, with all in-person polling locations open by Saturday, Oct. 31.
You can find information about your polling place through this link.
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Orange County in-person voting also began 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.
Remember: The last day to submit a ballot or vote in person is Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3. Vote Centers will be open on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Why isn't the L.A. City Council or L.A. mayor's race on my ballot?
First and foremost: Voters only vote on L.A. City Council seats or the L.A. mayor's race if they live in the city of L.A. Chances are high that if it's not on your ballot, you don't live within the admittedly confusing city boundaries.
Get more details and learn how to check your address
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What should I do with an extra ballot?
In L.A. County: "If residents receive ballots that are not addressed to them, they are urged to immediately contact our office at (800) 815-2666 or voterinfo@rrcc.lacounty.gov," a spokesperson told LAist in an email.
Bob Page, Orange County's registrar of voters, gave this advice: "The best action to take is to write 'Not at this address' on the ballot envelope and to give it back to your postal carrier or place it in a mailbox."
He added: "We also kindly request that you notify our office if you receive someone else's ballot, which you can do on our website using our Third Party Voter Registration Notification form."
What are school bonds? Why are we always being asked to vote on them?
Researchers estimate that nearly a third of California schools are at least 50 years old — and many districts report that age is starting to show.
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Yet, there’s no dedicated stream of funding to support the upkeep of the state’s 10,000 public K-12 schools attended by 5.7 million students, which is why we're seeing so many school bond measures on our local ballots.
We break down the details and go through some of the specific bonds
Why are out-of-state billionaires funding a California voter ID measure?
Want to know who’s who in Republican politics? Look no further than the megadonors bankrolling California’s voter ID initiative, Proposition 39. The involvement of deep-pocketed Republican donors is a signal that conservatives view Prop. 39 as a test of support for future battleground states in the broader push by President Donald Trump to tighten voter restrictions.
My top issue is the cost of childcare. What can California's politicians do about it?
A recent poll found that nationwide, 3 in 4 voters saw the cost of childcare for families with young children as a “crisis” or “major problem,” and more than 8 in 10 voters see it as part of the affordability crisis. So we asked local and statewide candidates: What does “affordable childcare” mean? And how will they make it happen?
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Why are there holes in my mail-in ballot envelope?
Don’t worry. They’re not for seeing your votes inside. It turns out the envelope holes have two functions. First, the holes next to the signature line are supposed to help visually impaired people find the signature line so that they can sign their ballot in private before submitting it.
Second, when election workers start processing ballots to be counted, the holes help them confirm that the envelopes don’t still have ballots left inside.
Is your ballot signature readable? Here's how SoCal officials verify it when you vote
Every ballot mailed in elections requires a voter’s signature. Election officials compare each ballot signature to the one on file in a voter's registration records. To avoid a hold up on your vote counting, election officials recommend voters review the signature on their driver’s license or state ID ahead of signing their ballot.
How do I vote if I am experiencing homelessness?
State laws and judicial rulings support the rights of people experiencing homelessness to vote. But that doesn't mean the process is easy to figure out. We'll walk you through it.
Got other questions?
Use our form below ...
What questions do you have about this election?
You ask, and we'll answer: Whether it's about who's funding the campaigns or how to track your ballot, we're here to help you understand the 2026 election.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
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