Election officials in Los Angeles and Orange counties braced for high turnout in Tuesday’s Presidential election after record early voting over the weekend.
In a region where voter turnouts tend to be exceedingly low, the extent of early voting in Los Angeles County over the weekend was stunning, with thousands of people braving long lines and waiting for up to four hours.
The situation was similar in Orange County, and the Registrar of Voters warned of more lines on Tuesday.
“Voters should understand that due to limited parking at some locations and turnout possibly strong at certain locations, being prepared prior to going to the polling place is critical,” the registrar said in a statement. “We appreciate voters’ patience and those who arrive at their polling place prior to 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote,” the registrar said in a statement.
Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. The first results, from early voting and mail ballots, are expected shortly after the polls closed.
MyNewsLA.com will have complete coverage of election results beginning with the first returns.
Brenda Duran, a spokeswoman for the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office, told the Los Angeles Times that a total of 7,756 ballots were cast last weekend at early voting stations, and voters broke that record this weekend, with more than 8,000 Angelenos voting on Saturday alone.
After polls opened at 8 a.m. Sunday, long lines were reported in North Hollywood, West Covina, Culver City, Downey and Torrance. At midday, the polling places were clogged with people who had already filled out their ballots but were waiting in line to personally hand them in and collect their “I Voted” sticker.
In Orange County, early ballots were being filled out at Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Irvine Civic Center, UC Irvine, Mission Viejo, Santa Ana and Westminster. Voters could also stay in their cars and hand ballots to workers at the Irvine Civic Center, Mission Viejo and Santa Ana locations.
Of the registered voters in Los Angeles County, 51 percent are registered Democrat and 18.6 percent Republican. In Orange County, there are 2 million registered voters, with 37.8 percent of them Republican and 34 percent Democrat.
— From Staff and Wire Reports