Vote November 6, 2018…Because You Can, Because It Matters

Vote November 6, 2018. This election is being called the most important in a generation.  The future of the balance of power in Washington, D.C. will be decided in the House of Representatives and the United States Senate. But for many Americans, it will be the local and Statewide issues that will impact them directly. So it is with Los Angeles County and Long Beach voters.

There are five ballot measures on the Vote November 6 slate:

1. City Auditor’s Authority – Measure AAA
2. Three-term limit on Mayoral and City Council service – Measure BBB
3. Ethics Commission – Measure CCC
4. Citizen Redistricting Commission – Measure DDD
5. Hotel Workplace Requirements and Restrictions – Measure WW

The Long Beach City Clerk has partnered with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s office to ensure that the Vote November 6 elections go off just fine. PalacioMagazine.com spoke by phone with Long Beach Assistant City Clerk Allison Bunma about this election, deadlines, and the work that is going into ensuring that every vote counts.

Allison Bunma, Assistant City Clerk, is a Certified Municipal Clerk. Ms. Bunma’s career has led her to serve the City of Long Beach for over 27 years; the last 21 with the City Clerk’s office. Bunma oversees the legislative business of the City which includes working with 9 city council offices, the Mayor, City Auditor, City Prosecutor, and City Attorney. She also oversees the City of Long Beach’s thirty-five plus Boards and Commissions.

More for Vote November 6

If you can’t make it to your polling place on Tuesday, November 6th don’t worry, there are ten locations open two weekends before the November 6th General Election (October 27-28 and November 3-4). You don’t need to bring anything with you, but the County clerk does recommend having your Sample Ballot booklet. Additionally, there is no restriction on where to go, you can visit any Weekend Early Voting site. To find out these locations, visit HERE

Important Things to Know Before Arriving:

1. These locations are also drop-off locations. If you already have your Vote by Mail ballot you do not need to wait in line.
2. You will not be using the ink-a-vote system used at a polling place. You will fill in your selections on a Vote by Mail ballot.
3. If you are in line before 4 pm you will be able to vote.
4. If you missed the registration deadline for this election you will still be able to vote. Under California Election Law, Conditional Voter Registration (CVR) allows a prospective voter to conditionally register and cast a provisional ballot.

Wait, There’s More for Vote November 6

• New Citizen Eligibility to Register and Vote: October 23-November 8:00 P. M. Election Day- A new citizen is eligible to register and vote at the office of, or at another location designated by, the county elections official at any time beginning on the 14th day before an election and ending at the close of polls on the election day
• Certified List of Write-In Candidates: October 26- Suggested last date for Secretary of State to prepare and send to affected county elections officials a certified list of write-in candidates showing the name of every write-in candidate eligible to receive votes within the county at the General Election, their address and the offices to which they seek election. This list will be mailed to each person in the affected offices.
• Polling Places – Publication: October 30- Not later than this date, a list of polling places for each precinct shall be published once in a newspaper of general circulation within the county.
• Emergency Vote by Mail: October 31 (W)-November 6 (Tu) Election Day- Between these dates, any voter may apply for a Vote By Mail Ballot if conditions require his or her absence from the precinct on election day. The voter may designate an authorized representative to pick up and return the ballot.
• Election Day: November 6, 2018- Polls open 7:00 a.m., close 8:00 p.m. At 8:00 pm, the staff will announce outside the polling place that the poll is now closed and allow voters in line by 8:00 pm to vote but make sure to identify who the last voter will be.  There are many steps to close poll but essentially poll workers need to repack all supplies, count signatures, seal ballots, turn off and pack up the PRB machine, completing the official ballot statement to ensure that all ballots are being accounted for.
• Election Day: November 6, 2018- Vote by Mail Ballots Returned – 8:00 P. M. Last day for Vote By Mail ballots to be received or turned in personally by the voter to the county elections official’s office or at any polling place in the county. An authorized representative may return the voted ballot under specified conditions. Any Vote By Mail ballot cast under this division shall be timely cast if it is received by the voter’s elections official via the United States Postal Service or a bona fide private mail delivery company no later than three days after election day in addition to the provisions set forth in E. C. 3020, Sections 1 and 2.
• Provisional ballots: Provisional ballots are issued at the polls when a voter’s name is not listed on the poll roster.  Provisional ballots are sealed in special envelopes at the polls and must be individually researched and verified at the LA County Registrar-Recorder before ballots are counted or rejected, in accordance with election laws.  Once a provisional voter’s eligibility to vote is verified, the ballot is then counted.

Drop off Vote by Mail Ballots

If you find yourself wanting to drop off your Vote November 6 by Mail ballot instead of mailing it, here are the seven locations for the City of Long Beach:

1. Bay Shore Neighborhood Library located at 195 Bayshore Ave, Long Beach
2. Bret Harte Neighborhood Library, 1595 W. Willow St., Long Beach
3. Burnett Neighborhood Library at 560 E. Hill St, Long Beach
4. El Dorado Neighborhood Library at 2900 Studebaker Rd, Long Beach
5. Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library at 5870 Atlantic Ave, Long Beach
6. Cal State Long Beach at 1212 N Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach
7. Long Beach City Hall at 333 W. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach

Information Resources for Vote November 6, 2018

Official government information regarding all the various ballot measures along with candidates can be found at the following websites:

City of Long Beach City Clerk HERE

Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk LAVote.net

California Secretary of State Election Information HERE

Then, there are the media resources. In the past week, we’ve come across the following:

From KPCC Southern California Public Radio: The Voter Game Plan

On the front page of the LBPost.com, you can find another great guide: CalMatters 2018 Election Guide

Great analysis of Long Beach Ballot Measure BBB- Three-term limit on Mayoral and City Council Service by Greggory Moore

Photo by alphabunny_photos

Photo by C x 2

Elections Long Beach Elections Long Beach Vote 2018 Vote November 6