What Pasadenans Need to Know Before Heading to the Polls Today

Today, Pasadenans and voters around California will take to the polls to express their support for a variety of propositions, county seats, local measures, and nominees for November’s general election.

Pasadena City Clerk Mark Jomsky said he wants Pasadenans to know your vote matters on both the local and state levels.

“It is very important for all registered voters in Pasadena to participate,” he said Monday.

Jomsky said voters ought to your homework before casting your ballot.

“Voters going to the polls should review their sample ballot pamphlet carefully,” he said. “Check to see if your polling place has changed.  Be familiar with the races and measures on the ballot before going to the polls. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.”

Here is some key information for Election Day:

• Vote for one candidate only: There are 27 candidates for governor and 32 for the U.S. Senate. The ballot design required multiple columns. Do not choose one from column A and one from column B. If you vote for two candidates, neither vote will be counted. That happened to 250,000 California voters in the 2016 U.S. Senate race. Don’t let it happen to you!

• The 2018 election allows for registration until polls close for the first time ever in California. (But not at your polling place; only at the county elections headquarters.)

• Conditional Voter Registration is a new safety net for Californians who missed the May 21 deadline to register. While you may not be able to vote at your regular polling place or vote by mail, there is still an opportunity to cast a ballot by completing the conditional voter registration process.

“Eligible citizens who missed the May 21 deadline can go to their county elections office to register and vote conditionally. Their ballots will be processed once the county elections office has completed the voter registration verification process. Voters can complete the conditional voter registration process through Election Day on June 5.”

(But the only location in Los Angeles County where you can do this is at the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Headquarters, 12400 Imperial Highway in Norwalk.

• If you have already registered, and poll volunteers can’t find your name in the registration book, they will ask you to cast a provisional ballot, which will be counted before the final results.

• Yes, you can take a ballot selfie—California law has allowed it since 2016.

Just don’t photograph anyone else.

• If you mail your ballot on election day or earlier, and it arrives by close of business on June 8, it will be counted. If, however, you’re still filling out an absentee ballot on Tuesday, take it to a local polling place or a ballot drop-off site by 8 p.m.

Statewide Races

Jerry Brown’s term as governor of California will soon be over, and a slew of candidates are in the running. Among them, Democratic candidates California Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom, former LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and former State Board of Equalization Controller and state treasurer John Chiang. Also on the ticket are Republican candidates Assemblyman Travis Allen and John Cox. According to recent polls, Gavin Newsom is currently in the top spot among voters.

The lieutenant governor is elected separately from the governor. This year, 11 names crowd the ballot with three Democrats in the lead—Eleni Kounalakis, Ed Hernandez and Jeff Bleich. Republican Cole Harris is also in the running with a full endorsement from the state’s Republican Party.

Democratic state Sen. Kevin de Leon challenges Sen. Dianne Feinstein. If she wins, she will go into her fifth term. Feinstein remains one of the most powerful Democrats in an office she’s held since 1992 but still faces a credible challenger in de Leon, who authored California’s main sanctuary state law and introduced legislation to protect net neutrality.

The candidate who has held California’s Attorney General post since 2015, Xavier Becerra, faces off against Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones who is himself a Democrat, and two Republicans, Steven Bailey and Eric Early.

Current California Secretary of State Alex Padilla is looking to win a second term in the post but faces another Democrat, challenger Ruben Major, and two main Republican challengers, Mark Meuser and Raul Rodriguez Jr.

Statewide Propositions On The Ballot

Proposition 68 is set up to pay for clean-water projects, park improvements and flood-protection efforts to the tune of $4.1 million, including funds to protect the dying Salton Sea.

Proposition 69 ensures that the approximately $5 billion raised annually by the tax will be spent on asphalt work and transportation improvements.

Proposition 70 increases the legislative requirement for spending cap-and-trade revenues to a two-thirds vote. This would only happen once, in 2024.

Proposition 71 ensures all votes, including those sent by mail, are counted before an election measure is put into effect.

Proposition 72 prevents the state from taxing homeowners for installing rainwater recovery systems.

Information on local measures is here.

For more information, or to find your polling place, visit https://www.lavote.net/locator.