Alex Padilla on Making Your Vote Count in November

For most people, Tuesday, Nov. 3, is Election Day. But California Secretary of State Alex Padilla — the official charged with running California’s election — says it should more accurately be called “the last day to vote.” 

Padilla made his comments on Aug. 27 to a virtual audience of more than 100 people in conversation with Los Angeles Urban League President and CEO Michael Lawson. Titled “Election 2020: Voting, Access and Equity,” and sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, Jewish Family Services and the Urban League, Padilla, a Los Angeles native and former L.A. City Council president, laid out the plans the state has made to ensure that California’s 21 million eligible voters have safe, secure and convenient ways to cast their vote. 

Introducing the event, Federation President and CEO Jay Sanderson cited the coronavirus pandemic, the recession, the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement, saying, “We’ve never needed our voices heard more than they need to be heard.”

Padilla said he was confident that the state is ready to meet any challenges the 2020 election holds. “It turned out that a lot of the policies we’ve been championing in recent years to increase access to the ballot make even more sense during this pandemic,”  he said. He cited vote centers, which enable people to vote in any polling place in the county; early voting; provisional election day registration; and the pre-registration of 16- and 17-year-olds. Since the webinar, the county has announced that Staples Center, the Forum and Dodger Stadium will be used as vote centers.

Last November,  Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order ensuring that every active registered voter in California automatically would receive a ballot by mail. Those ballots, Padilla said, should start showing up during the first week of October. The most important thing, he advised, is to “have a plan on how you’re voting. Make it now and complete your ballot as soon as you can.” 

Padilla dismissed President Donald Trump’s claims that mail-in ballots make voter fraud easier. “Every county, every election, selects specific paper types that we don’t publicize, with watermarks and other distinguishing features,” Padilla said. “So if somebody was trying to rig the system by printing out fake ballots and flooding the system, that would be detected immediately. And those ballots would not be counted.” 

In addition, voters can track their ballot by subscribing to the “Where’s My Ballot” tool. “It’s the ultimate confirmation that your vote has counted,” Padilla said. “It’s great for transparency, great for accountability … great for peace of mind and confidence in the vote-by-mail process because, sadly, that, too, has come under attack.” 

Because of concerns with the postal service, the state has extended the time that ballots will be accepted from three to 17 days, as long as they’re postmarked by Nov. 3.

For those still unsure about the post office, voters can return their ballots to drop box locations throughout the county, or vote in person at a vote center beginning  Oct. 31. Padilla said doing so will help keep crowds down on Nov. 3.  

“Have a plan on how you’re voting. Make it now and complete your ballot as soon as you can.” — Alex Padilla

Regarding the results, Padilla said the winners of most races should be known that night, except for close races where “we may not know who the winner is on election night or the day after, or the day after.” But that’s nothing new for California, he added. He said he’s still worried “about lies and conspiracy theories that may be circulating out there if there is a delay.” For that, he advises patience. 

He concluded by saying, “Even in this time of physical isolation, we are working hard together to ensure that every person’s voice is heard. So, let’s keep leaning on each other. Keep praying for each other. We will get through this.”

The locations of voter centers, drop boxes and many election questions can be found here.