Below is a list of common questions we’ve received about voting in Neighborhood Council Elections. If you have a question that isn’t addressed below, see a complete list of Elections FAQs on this page. If your question isn’t already answered on that page, you may click the ASK A QUESTION button there to submit a question of your own. We’ll post the answer on that FAQ page and may also include it in a future article here on our blog.
Q: If my Neighborhood Council is having an online election, am I required to register to vote online, too?
A: You aren’t required to register to vote online if your Council is having online elections. You may also register in person either at the polls on your official Election Day, or at a local Pop-Up Poll. However, the convenience of being able to vote from wherever you are, whenever you want to during the voting period, is one of the best parts of online voting!
Q: I can’t make it to the polls on Election Day, and I am unable to register to vote online. Is there any other way to register and cast my ballot?
A: So long as your Council is one of the 35 having online elections this season, and your voting period is currently open, you may attend any Pop-Up Poll to register and vote – even if that Pop-Up is being held within the boundaries of another Council. Check this page (http://EmpowerLA.org/popuppolls) for a list of upcoming Pop-Up Poll locations, dates, and times. You may also vote Monday – Friday during regular business hours at LA City Hall at the Pop-Up Poll in the EmpowerLA office lobby on the 20th floor.
However, if your Neighborhood Council is having a traditional election, there are no absentee ballots or alternative means of casting a ballot. Ballots for these Councils must be cast on Election Day at the polling location during the hours the poll is open.
Q: My Neighborhood Council requires a photo ID for voter verification. What can I use to fulfill this requirement?
A: A driver’s license is not the only form of photo ID accepted for voter identity verification, though you are welcome to use your driver’s license for this purpose if you have one. Accepted forms of photo ID must show both your name and a photo of you, so other forms of ID you can use might be a school ID; work ID; credit card with your photo; gym membership; or even your Costco membership card. See a list of suggested photo ID types here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H9rSoAaEVR2yqR9uIVdzOGchIC3jz3I_7hSEEuc8kkw/edit
Q: What is the deadline to register to vote?
A: For Councils with online elections, online voter registration closes 7 calendar days before a Neighborhood Council’s official Election Day. Don’t worry if you miss the deadline, though – you can still register and vote in person at a Pop-Up Poll or at the official polls on Election Day. For Councils with traditional elections, registration and voting all takes place at the polls on the official Election Day.
Q: I already registered to vote in the national Presidential elections. Am I automatically registered to vote in Neighborhood Council elections, too?
A: All voters are required to register to vote in Neighborhood Council elections, even if they’re already registered to vote in national elections.
Q: I voted in Neighborhood Council elections before. Does this mean I am already registered to vote this time?
A: All voters are required to complete a new registration each election cycle, even if they have voted in Neighborhood Council Elections in the past.
