Voting to choose the 47th U.S. president will begin next week.
The California Secretary of State announced that vote-by-mail ballots by county will be sent out starting Monday, October 7. Since the pandemic, voting by mail has become the most common way to vote, with about 70% of voters participating.
Voters will have plenty of time to fill out their ballots and drop them in a drop box, mail them (postmarked on or before November 5 and delivered by November 12), or drop them off at their polling place by 8 p.m. on Election Day, November 5.
According to California’s election law, vote-by-mail ballots must begin mailing to registered voters 29 days before Election Day.
Therefore, voters could receive their ballots as early as October 7. Voter registration closes on October 21. Those who become citizens after October 21 can register and vote with conditions until Election Day.
Registrars of Voters in major counties, such as LA County, will provide early voting schedules and polling locations in the coming weeks.
The presidential election is a return matchup between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris. The two candidates are locked in a fierce battle and are vying for votes in key swing states such as Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Arizona.
In California, the U.S. Senate race pits Democrat Adam Schiff against Republican Steve Garvey. In the U.S. House of Representatives, voters will decide between three-term incumbents Michelle Steel (45th District), Young Kim (40th District), Dave Min (47th District), and David Kim (34th District).
In the state Senate and Assembly, Steven Choi (37th District, Irvine) and John Yi (54th District, Los Angeles) are campaigning in the general election. In LA, Grace Yoo (10th District) is seeking a seat on the City Council.
Elections don’t just end when a candidate wins. Especially for minority communities, voter participation itself is a scorecard, with votes translating into their political power.
The Korea Daily is hosting a polling station for the general election at its Los Angeles headquarters at 690 Wilshire Place in Koreatown welcoming voters on November 5 Election Day. Any voter of LA County can come in and deliver a ballot or vote electronically.
The Korea Daily’s polling station will be staffed with the Registrar of Voters and Korean language interpreters to assist Korean American voters.
BY BRIAN CHOI, HOONSIK WOO [choi.inseong@koreadaily.com]
