Villaraigosa Calls For Friday Extension After Voters Left Off Rolls
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Former LA Mayor and Democratic candidate for governor Antonio Villaraigosa is calling for LA County to keep voting centers open until Friday, June 8 after reports of voters arriving at polling places Tuesday to cast their ballot discovering their names were not on the voter registration rolls.
Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder Dean Logan said voters whose names did not appear on the roster at their polling place would be given provisional ballots.
According to the county, the printing issue affected the voter rolls at 1,530 of the 4,357 precinct locations. A total of 118,522 voters' names were omitted from the lists.
I'm calling on @LACountyRRCC to keep the polls open longer because of the unprecedented number of voters left off the voter rolls. You have the right to vote. If you were turned away, return to your polling place & exercise your right to vote by requesting a provisional ballot. pic.twitter.com/hLxVPaa9ML
— Antonio Villaraigosa (@AVillaraigosa) June 6, 2018
In response to one voter who asked whether this could be a recurring problem in November, Logan described it as "a random issue with the print job that ran the paper rosters", adding it would not affect anyone's status as a registered voter.
"We apologize for the inconvenience of the provisional ballot; however it will count and we will resolve the issue for November," said Logan.
Important Election Day Information: If your name does not appear on the roster at your polling place today, do not be alarmed. You will be given a provisional ballot to be able to cast your vote. #ProvisionalBallots are processed and counted in the election returns. #LAVOTES
— Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk (@LACountyRRCC) June 5, 2018
Still, the issue did not appear to be isolated to one particular region or polling place.
One caller told CBS2 an entire block of voters was not included on the registration roll at a polling place at Cantera Street Elementary in Reseda.
BE AWARE: if you're in LA County and show up at your precinct to vote and you're not on the voter rolls, ASK FOR A PROVISIONAL BALLOT. It will be counted. This is an issue some are experiencing right now due to a printing issue.
— Ian C. Calderon (@IanCalderon) June 5, 2018
Just had to #vote provisional ballot AGAIN. Our address was not listed at our polling place. But it was our correct polling place. Apparently this is happening ALL over LA. Don't leave! #VOTE! Looks like a large number of votes won't be counted for days.
— Cat Staggs ????️???? ✨???????????? (@CatStaggs) June 5, 2018
I had to vote by provisional ballot today due to not being in the roster. I was at the correct polling place. Poll workers said this has happened to many others today. What is going on? Seems pretty shady.
— Cecelia (@southpawkitten) June 5, 2018
Had to do a Provisional Ballot because the machine is and has been down all morning. Polling station (Los Angeles African American/ Latino neighborhood) also says also they were not sent enough pens for voting. Sounds like dirty politics to me #CAPrimary #PrimaryElection
— TheProvider (@ImJustSaying824) June 5, 2018
Forced to use a provisional ballot in Inglewood. Poll workers say they did not receive info for an Entire Street. #votersuppression #disenfranchisement or honest mistake? #pollworkers #CaliforniaPrimary2018
— NFTMom (@mombeam) June 5, 2018
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)