By Lynne T. Jewell
The doors of the Los Feliz Library may be shut during the COVID-19 pandemic, but that doesn’t mean you can’t cast your ballot for the Tuesday, November 3, Presidential Election at a newly-installed drop-off box in front of the branch library at the corner of Hillhurst and Franklin Avenues.
“The Los Angeles Public Library has always been driven by community service, and the most important form of community service is voting,” said Los Feliz branch librarian Pearl Yonezawa. “We are happy to help make it easier for all Angelenos to vote by simply dropping off their mail-in ballots in the vote-by-mail boxes at any of our 73 libraries, including Los Feliz.”
The ballot box will be open for business beginning October 5 up until 8 p.m. on Election Day. Mail-in ballots (formerly called absentee ballots) are scheduled to be mailed to every registered voter in California in early October.
“Let’s all exercise our constitutional rights and do our civic duty by getting out the vote for this election,” said LFIA president Amy Gustincic. “Whether by mail-in or voting in person, be sure to vote this fall.
Voters have choices on how they cast their ballot. Make a plan and pick the option that works best for you: vote-by-mail with the U.S. Postal Service; vote early at polling centers like Dodger Stadium and Staples Center; put your ballot in a secured drop-off box like the one at the Los Feliz Library or vote at a polling center on Election Day.
Los Feliz vote centers are Friendship Auditorium, 3201 Riverside Ave., Elysian Masonic Lodge, 1900 N. Vermont Ave., and St. Casimir Church, 3855 Evans St. All three locations will be open beginning Friday, Oct. 30.
Here are some helpful reminders to consider. It’s highly recommended that, when using the U.S. Postal Service, we should mail our vote-by-mail ballots at least two weeks prior to the election. Vote-by-mail ballots that are personally delivered to a ballot drop-off location must be delivered no later than the close of polls at 8 p.m. on Election Day.
And, very importantly, don’t forget to sign, seal and date your vote-by-mail ballot envelope.
Double check to make sure you’re register to vote by visiting https:///www.lavote.net/vrstatus/.
A new voting tool now allows voters to track mail-in ballots. You can sign up online with the California Secretary of State office’s “Where’s My Ballot” tracking system.
LFIA board members are serving as volunteers at polling places, and we thank them for that. Anyone interesting in becoming an election worker can contact the LA County Registrar’s Office.
For all LA County Registrar of Voters information and how to be an election worker, go to www.LAvote.net or call (800) 815-2666.
Let’s make our votes count!
A version of this story appeared in the October 2020 issue of the Los Feliz Ledger.