Over 2.9M Ballots Cast In LA County So Far
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – More than 2.9 million Angelenos have already cast their ballots in the general election, officials reported Sunday night.
The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder's Office reported Sunday that so far 2,912,325 people have voted.
Of those, about 2.52 million were through mail-in ballots and another 391,000 were in-person voters.
This marks a turnout so far of 50.8% of all registered voters, the registrar said. The turnout record was set in the 2008 general election, when 82% of registered voters cast ballots.
There are 791 vote centers open across L.A. County, along with about 400 official ballot drop boxes. They will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, and again from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, when polls close.
In Culver City, the parking lot of video game developer Jam City opened up as a vote center Monday. CEO Chris DeWolfe said they are hoping to make the process fun.
"It's kind of a stressful year, politically and with COVID," he said. "So we wanted to create a safe environment where people didn't have to wait in line and exercise their civic responsibility."
Several L.A. landmarks are serving as vote centers, including Dodger Stadium and the Pantages Theatre. Oscar-winning actress Marisa Tomei made a surprise appearance Sunday at Dodger Stadium, handing out snacks and speaking to voters and volunteers.
Kylee Cochran voted on Monday at the Hollywood Bowl, because she said she is concerned about COVID. She said she felt more comfortable with her kids there, because it's outdoors.
"I thought it would easy to bring them," she said. "They could be outside and run around and I didn't have to worry about being inside."
Early ballots can be mailed as long as they are postmarked by Election Day. This is the first time that L.A. County has seen an 11-day early voting period, with ballots mailed to every registered voter.
Nationwide, according to CBS News, more than 94 million people have already voted. That marks 67.7% of the total vote in 2016, when 138 million Americans cast ballots.