Election Day!
I voted at 7:15 this morning. Turnout at my polling location looked to be slow but steady.
Polls will be open until 8pm tonight. If you’re not sure where to vote, you can look it up here. Then be sure to join us at our election night party at the Avalon. Details are here.
What was your voting experience like today? Hearing of or seeing any problems at the polls?
Remember, parking restrictions will be loosened near polling places to make it a bit easier to vote. Please remind your friends and family to get to the polls.
Thanks, everyone, for your support!
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Voting was super smooth this morning! Walked over to my polling place with my neighbor at about 8am, checked in, filled in the bubbles and that was that!
Hope to meet you at the Avalon!
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Voting was smooth and easy today – though it always is at our humble polling place at the Redeemer Baptist church on jefferson Blvd. in South LA (CD10). We always have plenty of volunteers from the neighborhood. And we have another special election on the 24th, for our state senate seat . . .
Looking forward to you continuing as council president!
March 3rd, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Voting was smooth today in H’wood.
March 3rd, 2009 at 1:19 pm
Voting was fine except for that Gary Slossberg sign in front of the polling place Melrose and Berendo. I took it down and threw it away but when I came out a woman was standing at the door of the polling place holding the sign. I told the election administrators, they helped remove her. She said she was told it she could stand there.
Already talked to a couple of your people about it. See you tonight.
March 3rd, 2009 at 1:35 pm
I voted at the Golden Gate Retirement Hotel on Lockwood (CD13). Parking was difficult- didn’t trust the fact that schoolyard restrictions (No Parking 7am-5pm) would be lifted. The poll worker could barely speak English and could not alphabetize. It was 10 am, they were just installing the counter machine and sadly, mine was the first vote recorded.
Although most elderly voters vote absentee in the future I would recommend polling places without stairs. Still, I take pride in voting and never take it for granted.
March 3rd, 2009 at 1:35 pm
Voting was more-or-less smooth and a short line built as I left my polling place at Logan Elementary. There may have been a bit of a language barrier sort of thing going on with the poll volunteers and the voters…But they got us in and out regardless.
March 3rd, 2009 at 1:41 pm
I had a great experience. I got up at my usual time and went to work as usual. Tonight I will walk home at my usual time, knowing that the Vote By Mail ballot that I mailed in two weeks ago was recieved and will be counted.
*Eric, here’s a suggestion; on small elections where the turnout is expected to be light, why not mail out the ballots for everyone. You have to mail out all the voter information guides anyway. It seems to me that this would be a lot less expensive, and the average voter might prefer the VBM method over taking the extra time to vote on a particular day during particular hours. Who knows? It might even increase voter turnout.
March 3rd, 2009 at 1:50 pm
I live in Mt. Washington/Cypress Park (I.e. Not in your district) and the polling place was at a house in a very congested area with no parking spots open (on a stretch of Isabel too narrow to park on at all) within 3 blocks at 7:15 this morning.
I ran out of time looking for a spot and had to leave for work. Hopefully I can make it back before polls close.
March 3rd, 2009 at 1:53 pm
I was the 38th person at my polling station on Gramercy Pl. as of 1:45pm today.
March 3rd, 2009 at 1:58 pm
Thanks everyone for these great comments. And Matthew, I certainly hope you can get back to your polling place tonight!
March 3rd, 2009 at 2:30 pm
I voted by mail, as I always do. Mailed it in last Friday. I agree that the city could have saved lots of money, and maybe even driven up turnout, by mailing out the ballots.
No city council race in my district (6).
I received very few campaign pieces in the mail. Just one or two from Mayor V. None from the Comptroller or City Atty races. I don’t watch TV, so I had to go out on the Internet to learn who was running and what they said they stood for.
Community College and LAUSD races are totally opaque. No idea who any of these people are, what issues are before us, etc.
No polling, so no way to tell which races are close, and which are shoe-ins.
Prop B was the only thing on the questions that seemed even remotely controversial. All the rest were no-brainers.
All in all, a ho-hum election.
(By the way, Eric, I sit next to Donna P. from Van Nuys on the bus every day, so I get a lot of political news from her.)
March 3rd, 2009 at 2:35 pm
That elderly crew should not be running the polling stations at Logan Elementary. God bless those people, but the room for error or manipulation is too great.
March 3rd, 2009 at 2:51 pm
I voted this afternoon at Logan Elementary School in Echo Park. I moved recently from San Marino and registered to vote at my new address on the deadline, February 17. When I sent in the postcard, I had the thought that my registration wouldn’t be processed in time, although news reports had assured me that as long as it was postmarked that day, all would be well.
Sure enough, I was not on the registered voter rolls. I cast my provisional ballot while muttering softly to myself.
However, my overall experience was good. The poll workers were friendly (if somewhat slow…but they *were* all rather elderly). Polls weren’t too crowded.
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:28 pm
From my Facebook Page:
Eric wonders how your your voting experience was today: http://blog.ericgarcetti.com/?p=191. 12:35pm
Susan B and Lindsey H like this
Joshua E at 12:37pm March 3
Voted weeks ago!
Brian R at 12:38pm March 3
I voted in my Encino neighborhood at 9 today. It went smoothly, but I didn’t see anyone else showing up to vote while I was there. I hope it got busier after I left.
Elson T at 12:40pm March 3
I heard some crazy Florida lawyer has been causing a ruckus at a certain polling place in Echo Park…wassup wit dat?!
Don G at 12:40pm March 3
it was great.. I also see that voting is very light….
Joshua E at 12:42pm March 3
I told my girlfriend to vote for ya…I hope she listened. Good luck today!
Erin Simon B at 12:46pm March 3
I voted on Larchmont and it was a ghost-town-esque situation at the polling spot. You could see the tumbleweeds, and the pollsters (polling people? poll masters?) were just a little too grateful to see me. Kind of a bummer.
Harut B at 12:46pm March 3
Is it still too late to go and vote guys…I havent voted yet
Elson T at 12:48pm March 3
No not too late, polling places close at 8pm!
Gregg M at 12:48pm March 3
I walked into the church where I was voting. The four poll workers and I had the place to ourselves.
Lindsey H at 12:53pm March 3
I voted via provisional ballot for the first time ever. Gotta love learning a new process. AND I got my “I Voted” sticker in Russian. Can’t really beat that on a Tuesday morning!
Van D at 12:56pm March 3
It was one person standing on corner in Echo Park handing out fliers. I elected not to compete with him. I did vote some time ago though.
Brian R at 1:00pm March 3
Assuming you are registered, look up your polling place here: http://www.lavote.net/LOCATOR/Default.cfm
Bill H at 1:01pm March 3
Had to wait a few days because I couldn’t find a stamp…but it still got in the mail in plenty of time, Eric!
Suzanne D at 1:07pm March 3
a pleasure!!!!
Jeff S at 1:49pm March 3
Rode my bike 2 blocks to Hazeltine Elementary and was the there with maybe 3 voters. Nothing like the line in November.
Marlena B at 1:58pm March 3
I was the 38th voter at my polling place Bethany Towers in Hollywood as of 1:45pm.
Tim O at 2:01pm March 3
not bad compared to the Nov vote. Walked in walked out of course that just goes to show the laxed attitude towards voting in LA
Brian R at 2:01pm March 3
I guess we get the government we deserve…
Elizabeth R at 2:05pm March 3
We were recognized by our polling place workers. Well, not us as us, but as the parents of Isaac & Zelda. Everyone was disappointed that we didn’t bring them. Another poll worker complimented me on my beautiful yellow purse. In sum, it was delightful. Can’t wait to vote again.
Martin W at 2:12pm March 3
Too fast, too easy–even though we got displaced from the Silver Lake Recreation Center to St. Teresa’s. Where are all the voters?
Kathleen A at 2:13pm March 3
My absentee ballot came incomplete so I had to walk into a polling location today in order to vote, but no probs, it all worked out…. Now if only we can get the California section back in the LA Times!!!!
Still Y at 2:19pm March 3
Really slow at Mayberry Elementary School at 11:30. People at the yoga studio didn’t seem to know there were elections today…Also, alot of changes in polling places and people saying they never got anything in the mail about the election in general.
Allysa S at 2:24pm March 3
Very nice experience!
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:41 pm
Voting at Elysian Heights Elementary went very smooth. In and out in minutes. All polls were filled when I entered, but there was no waiting.
March 3rd, 2009 at 4:22 pm
Voted this morning in Valley Glen — it was just me and the poll workers when I was there at 11am, but they said the turnout today has been good. No trouble at all getting the provisional ballot I needed (I’m new to that neighborhood after being a CD13 girl, and haven’t re-registered yet).
I saw Trutanich being interviewed by a news team outside his campaign HQ a little later in the day.
March 3rd, 2009 at 4:46 pm
I went to vote over on Melrose and Berendo about an hour ago. It had horrible street parking and it was pretty dead in there. No one else was in there voting other than me. The poll worker said I was around the 50th voter.
The one weird thing was that that is not my normal polling place and the workers had two voting roster books. I wasn’t in the first one so I had to go to another table for them to find me on THAT roster.
March 3rd, 2009 at 4:47 pm
Eric,
Good meeting you at the Echo this week. While I’m not in your district I told people that are in your district that you shared many of my beliefs on building block by block and they will hopefully support you today.
I voted today in West Hollywood. There was some confusion as to where my polling place was as I have just moved. The polling volunteers were extremely helpful in providing me with a provisional ballot.
I saw 10 others voting while I was there at 8:30AM. The West Hollywood election is rather interesting and I’d be surprised if there wasn’t decent turnout today.
The reason for disinterest in local elections is because this city is completely fragmented into separate cities that fall within LA County. Until this issue is resolved these results will be typical and these elections forgettable. the government needs to be more centralized and representative of the county as opposed to the city when it comes to the mayoral position and proposed ballot measures.
March 3rd, 2009 at 4:57 pm
I went around 3pm today. There was 1 other person voting. I was in and out in about 5 min. Trying to encourage more people to vote. Most of my friends didn’t even know voting was happening today.
March 3rd, 2009 at 5:01 pm
I voted at 9am at Allesandro Elementary–there were only a handful of people at the poll. There was a larger crowd waiting to leave than there were waiting to vote cause the ballot receptacle (don’t know what it’s called) had a paper jam. Or ballot jam rather. After a few minutes I just handed my ballot over to one of the workers so I could get to work. They were about to call the city when I left, I hope they fixed it….
March 3rd, 2009 at 7:11 pm
I had a somewhat unsettling experience at my polling place on Coronado Terrace in Echo Park. My Ink-a-Vote stylus was running very low on ink, so I had to go over my choices several times (made sure that bubble next to Garcetti was nice and dark!), pressing much harder than I normally do. But when I turned in my ballot, I didn’t get a chance to alert the poll worker because he spent a long time explaining that, even though the machine that normally checks the ballots wasn’t working, my votes would still be counted.
March 3rd, 2009 at 9:07 pm
Voted by mail – with two kids under 3 and one on the way, I wanted to make sure I got it done early and didn’t let anything stop me!
March 3rd, 2009 at 9:38 pm
I voted a few weeks ago. I prefer voting ahead of time because I’m often out of town and want to make sure I get my vote in. Voted for Antonio, Gruel, and Weiss, voted for Schwartz in the 5th, voted yes on all the city measures, voted to re-elect all the college board trustees. Hope things run smoothly tonight.
March 4th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
I voted at the Vedanta Society yesterday. Was in and out in 5 mins, was told hardly anyone came. I read my friends the riot act, most of them didn’t know there was an election to which I asked, did you not get an election ballot in the mail?!
I find it interesting that so many Angelenos can show up to vote for a president but roughly 15% of registered voters show up to vote for a mayor, city controller/attorney, council members, our educational system and important measures? In other words, you can’t show up to vote for your city?
The federal government will not fix the issues Los Angeles faces, people.
March 5th, 2009 at 8:06 am
It was smooth and it was empty…I managed to cast my vote early in order to avoid falling into the waiting line. Over all, it was great to see concerned citizens of CD 13 who excersized their democratic opinions at the polling station.