With Election Day coming up on Nov. 5, Americans across the nation are getting registered and preparing to submit their ballots. Every state has different voting laws and in California, it is state law for voters to use vote-by-mail ballots.
The first step to getting involved in the election is registering. Citizens who are 18 years old or older, and meet all the qualifications are eligible to vote.
Mrs. Newkirk, one of the government teachers at Aliso, shares her advice to new voters, saying, “Get registered to vote and keep up with current events.”
Voters can register online, by mail or in person at a local election office. The registration application will identify voters through their driver’s license or with the last four digits of a Social Security card. The registration deadline online or by mail is Oct. 21 or voters can register in person by Nov. 5.
If voters are unsure if they are already registered to vote, they can check their voter status online through the California Secretary of State. A vote-by-mail ballot will be mailed out to all registered voters by county election officials.
There are a few different ways that voters can choose to return the ballots. The first way is to vote by mailing in a ballot. Another way is to drop off a ballot in person at a polling place or a drop-off location within California. Drop-off locations will open Oct. 8 and the last day to vote in the General Election is Nov. 5.
Once a ballot is filled out it must be placed inside the envelope that was provided. The envelope directly lists the required information that must be completed in order to return the ballot.
Shirley Weber, California Secretary of State, states, “All valid vote-by-mail ballots are counted in every election in California, regardless of the outcome or closeness of any race.”
California citizens who are 16 or 17 years old are able to pre-register and will automatically be eligible to vote for the next election.
Newkirk states, “In the history of our country so many people have fought to give as many people the chance to have their say in our government and if young people are just giving up that chance then they are foregoing a right that they have.”
In California, all registered voters are eligible to vote, unless they are currently serving in a state or federal prison for a felony conviction or if a court decides that a voter is mentally incompetent to vote.
Voters have many rights that allow all voters to have a fair election process. One states that a voter is given the right to receive election material in other languages. Another states that voters have the right to choose how and where they return their ballots.
There are many voting centers in Orange County. In Aliso Viejo, voters can drop off their ballots at the Aliso Viejo City Hall or Soka University. In Laguna Niguel, there are drop-off locations at the Laguna Niguel City Hall or Marina Hills Recreation Center.
The status of a vote-by-mail ballot can be accessed online. Once a ballot has been received and verified by the county election officials, it will be tallied.
