10 p.m. In San Bernardino County, the last voter just entered the polling place in Phelan, and six other voters at that location are still filling out their ballots. Everywhere else in the county is ready to be counted, and an update is ready to post as soon as that final voter is done
– San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters
9:15 p.m. As of 9 p.m., people were still standing in line and voting in San Bernardino County, although the polls closed an hour earlier, the Registrar tweeted.
– Tony Saavedra
8:15 p.m. As of 8 p.m. today, 89,672 voters have voted at a Vote Center in Orange County. Since in-person voting started on Oct. 30, 266,237 voters have taken care of their voting needs at a Vote Center in Orange County, tweeted Registrar of Voters Neal Kelley.
– Tony Saavedra
7:30 p.m. Some voters at the Newport Beach Civic Center polling place were heeding President Donald Trump’s encouragement to avoid mail-in ballots.
Asked why she was voting in person, M. Rahilly said, “Probably because of all the rumors that if the (mail-in) ballot says Trump, it goes in the trash.”
There has been no evidence of ballots being misplaced in Orange County because of the candidate choices on them. And many of those voting in person said they simply preferred the experience over a mail ballot or, as in the case of Sid Miramontes, they hadn’t found the time to vote earlier.
“I’m a businessman and I’ve just been busy,” said Miramontes, who owns a financial services business.
Did Trump’s suggestion that voting in person was more secure have any influence on his decision?
“None whatsoever,” he said.
– Martin Wisckol
7:15 p.m. Things were relatively quiet in Temecula during the morning and early afternoon hours Tuesday.
The Temecula Duck Pond, which is a popular spot for political rallies, was home to a few dozen people around noon, some waving Trump 2020 and American flags on street corners and others waving signs supporting Joe Biden and Black Lives Matter on the others.
Those crowds increased as the day progressed. The Temecula Valley Democrats encouraged supporters to join club president Terry Connolly at the Duck Pond for a flash rally at 4 p.m., and they were met with a large group of Trump supporters.
Crowds on both sides had largely dispersed by 6 p.m. However, a handful of Trump enthusiasts remained in place on the corner of Ynez and Rancho California roads, their presence drawing plenty of honks of support from passing cars.
There was still a small police presence at the intersection at 6 p.m., with a few officers making sure crowds did not spill into the streets or crosswalks.
There appeared to be no disruptions at polling centers Tuesday morning or afternoon.
– Eric-Paul Johnson
5:45 p.m. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office launched an investigation Tuesday after a video surfaced on Twitter showing a handmade sign outside the re-election campaign headquarters of Westminster Vice Mayor Kimberly Ho that appeared to encourage voting at the location.
The sign that read “Vote Here” appeared to be written with a sharpie on the back of a campaign poster for Ho and hung from a utility pole outside Ho’s business, Apogee International at 15201 Beach Blvd. in Westminster.
Van Thai Tran, a former state assemblyman and an attorney for Ho’s campaign, said ballots were being collected at Ho’s headquarters but no voting was taking place. He believes the “Vote Here” sign may have been planted but acknowledged there was a sign in Vietnamese outside of Ho’s headquarters that when translated into English reads “Ballot Room.”
A pair of investigators with the Orange County District Attorney arrived at Ho’s campaign headquarters and spoke with Tran for several minutes. Details about the investigation were not immediately available.
– Scott Schwebke and Brooke Staggs
5:35 p.m. The vote center at the UC Irvine student center was as calm as most of the county’s polling places.
Voters came alone or in pairs every few minutes and were able to walk right in and cast a ballot with no wait. Poll workers said they’d seen about 400 people on Monday and expected a few more than that by the time polls close today.
John Christman, 23, whose wife is a UCI graduate student, said he opted to vote in person on Election Day because “I like the instant gratification and then getting the results. I don’t want to wait.”
He and another voter, 21-year-old Jose Antonio, both said they’d been prepared for long lines, but they were able to cast their ballots speedily.
Antonio, an electrical engineering major, had his own reason for voting in person: “I just fell behind in my classes and didn’t turn in my ballot.”
– Alicia Robinson
5:15 p.m. Nina Hiers and Keri Then, two poll observers for the California Democratic Party, reported issues with signage at Moreno Valley College, particularly with regards to disabled and handicapped voters.
Hiers, who is ambulatory, said she struggled to make her way up the two staircases leading to the polling location. She was unaware of a nearby elevator, because all the voting signs pointed up the stairway. Hiers later was informed on a road disabled voters can access to get closer to the polling station, but she again said there is no clear signage that identifies that route.
Hiers said her mother witnessed at least one person pulling a wheelchair-bound person up the stairs to reach the polling station.
Hiers said she called the Riverside County Registrar of Voters to inform them of these issues around noon. She returned to the site around 4:30 p.m. and the signage had not been changed.
“They said they are working on it,” Hiers said. “I watched an elderly man with a cane try to make it up the stairs. This needs to be resolved. This is a real safety issue and someone could get hurt.”
Keri Then, a disabled veteran, said she used the elevator because she was familiar with the campus.
“Unless you have been there, you can easily miss it because the sign to the elevator blends right into the wall,” Then said.
Riverside County spokeswoman Brooke Federico said the county had not received any complaints about accessibility issues at voting centers.
“All voter assistance centers and poll sites are ADA-compliant,” Federico said in an email Tuesday evening. “A ramp should have been accessible to any voter that needs it.”
Hiers and Then identified themselves as poll observers but were initially denied access. Then eventually was allowed inside, but onlyafter being escorted in by someone with the Secretary of State’s office.
“I personally went to four polling locations in Moreno Valley today,” Then said. “This was the only one where there was an issue with accessand signage, and the only one where I encountered a problem with being an observer.
“With all of the problem going on over there, it really is not an acceptable place for a polling location.”
– Eric-Paul Johnson
5 p.m. About 800 people showed up at the Shops at San Clemente by early afternoon, just in view of the “Worlds Largest Christmas Tree.”
Anthony Van Liefde, who owns a stone business in town, was confident in his vote for President Trump. “He does what he says he’ll do,” he said, after dropping off a ballot he had already filled out. “He’s brought in conservative judges and he’s lowered taxes.”Van Liefde said he was confident in Trump’s success because of the many spontaneous volunteer rallies here and across the nation, even though Trump was not personally there for them. “People all over are celebrating his achievements.”Locally, Van Liefde said he was concerned about keeping the toll road out of San Clemente “They should dump it at the south end of the city near the base,” he said.
US Marines Matt Cook, 20 and Dayne Mariner, 20, were first time voters. Cook, of Rhode Island, was voting for Trump.“I’m here because my fiancée wants me to vote,” he said. “Trump has a good attitude. He’s done a lot for the military and given us pay raises.’”Mariner, of Minnesota, said he was casting his ballot for Third Party candidate. Joe Jorgenson.“He’s the lesser of three evils. Biden’s tax plan is insane and Trump doesn’t care enough for the environment.” Both serve at Camp Pendleton.Crystal Trigano, an Air Force veteran, whose husband still serves in the US Navy, said she was in line because she never received her mail-in ballot.“The way the last four years have been, some things have been disturbing me and I’m hoping for change.”Trigano said it was important for her to be at the voting station as an example for her three children.I want them to see the importance of exercising of our right to vote and our responsibility to do it,” she said. “Their father and I both served. I feel this is the most patriotic expression we have — to exercise our right to vote.”
– Erika Ritchie
4:45 p.m. The San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters, battling long lines at the main office, has opened an additional “emergency” voting center at San Bernardino International Airport, Registrar Bob Page said Tuesday, Nov. 3.
The airport’s domestic terminal — 105 North Leland Norton Way — was opened to the public at 4 p.m.
“We had always planned that if we have too many people coming in for our social distancing, we’d have that as a backup,” Page said.
– Ryan Hagen
4:30 p.m. While there have been a scattering of mostly minor problems at Orange County vote centers, county Registrar of Voters Neal Kelley said that he had been bracing for worse given all the tension surrounding the election.
“To be honest, it’s been remarkably smooth,” he said.
The most unusual report was an allegation of a fake polling place in Westminster. Kelley said his office was working with district attorney investigators on the matter but the allegation had not been confirmed. He said there were about 20 vote centers in the county that had 20-minute waits — but more common was a wait of about 10 minutes.
While more people have voted before Election Day than ever before, COVID-19 protocols include wiping down the voting machines after each use, and that slows things down a bit, he said.
And he warned that waits could get longer toward the 8 p.m. close of voting. But all voters who are in line at a vote center before 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote.
President Donald Trump encouraged supporters to monitor polling places but Kelley said the reports he’d received from Orange County was that there were no more poll observers than usual.
Election workers have masks to offer voters who aren’t wearing one — but those who refuse to mask-up are allowed to vote, either curbside or at an isolated voting machine.
“The majority of people are showing up with masks,” Kelley said.
He is expecting a million votes counted by the end of the night, which would be a record. There are 1.7 million voters in Orange County.
– Martin Wisckol
4:15 p.m. A Republican ballot harvesting operation in Westminster is being reviewed by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
DA Todd Spitzer said the campaigns of two Republican candidates were assisting voters with filling out their ballots. Then those campaign workers were being designated to take care of the ballots, Spitzer said. The incident took place at the re-election campaign headquarters of Westminster City Councilwoman Kimberly Ho.
Attorneys on the scene have not yet decided if any violation occurred.
“We have preserved the information,” Spitzer said. “We haven’t determined yet if there was a crime. We have the names of the individuals on the scene.”
“People came with unopened original ballots, and they were filled out there,” Spitzer said. “Then they designated people to take care of their ballots.”
3:55 p.m. Breaking story…the Orange County District Attorney’s Office is investigating a report of an alleged phony polling place at the re-election campaign headquarters of Westminster City Councilwoman Kimberly Ho. DA investigators there now. Situation still under review. Story coming.
– Scott Schwebke
3:50 p.m. The LAPD has declared a citywide tactical alert to ensure sufficient resources to address any incidents that may arise as a result of Election Day activities, but is not a result of any specific incident.
– Los Angeles Police Department
3:45 p.m. Update from Orange County Registrar of Voters Neal Kelley …
“As of 3 PM today, 54,538 voters have voted at a Vote Center in Orange County,” Kelley posted on Twitter. “Since in-person voting started on 10/30, 226,548 voters have taken care of their voting needs at a Vote Center.”
3:30 p.m. Chase Chandra, an entertainment marketer from Sherman Oaks, said everything went well at Millikan Middle School in Los Angeles and that she felt safe with all the coronavirus protections in place.
And while she acknowledged concerns about the election potentially being rigged or having other problems, she said that’s beyond her control.
“I played my part,” she said. “I voted.”
Meanwhile, after quickly dropping off his ballot at Millikan, Sean Game, a software consultant, said he did not harbor any concerns about the election itself.
“In general, no, we don’t have election fraud in this country despite what we’re being told,” he said.
– Donna Littlejohn
3:20 p.m. Not everybody votes with love in their heart.
Andrew Nolan did.
He voted Tuesday at Honda Center, home of the Anaheim Ducks. Nolan was perfectly attired for it – a dark grey t-shirt with a red, white and blue Ducks logo, and a Ducks mask (the COVID kind of mask, not a goaltender’s mask or the Wild Wing version of it).
Nolan, 26, who lives in Anaheim Hills, voted in 2016 by mail. So when asked why he opted to vote in-person at Honda Center, Nolan responded, “Because it’s my favorite place. And they give out these cool ‘I Voted’ stickers and I definitely wanted to get one of those.”
Perry Petrzilka drove from La Habra to Honda Center because he anticipated short lines and a quick process.He was right. The building had more than 100 voting machines spread along the south-side concourse. At 1:30 p.m. there were no more than a dozen people voting there.
“It was a breeze,” Petrzilka said. “It was in and out, spaced out, and not a lot of people in there. It was great.”
– Steve Fryer
2:18 p.m. San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters Bob Page says 620,000 mail ballots have been returned in the county. No issues at polling places have been reported and wait times have been short although “turnout is a little bit more brisk than it was during early voting,” Page said.
Several people have shown up to vote with a mask, shirt or other apparel that advocates for a certain candidate. That’s considered electioneering, which is not allowed within 100 feet of the polling place. Staff told them to turn the clothing inside out or take it off, Page said.
– Ryan Hagen
1:35 p.m. Update from Orange County Registrar of Voters Neal Kelley.
“As of 1 PM today, 45,330 voters have voted at a Vote Center in Orange County,” Kelley tweeted. “Since in-person voting started on 10/30, 217,479 voters have taken care of their voting needs at a Vote Center.”
1 p.m. There were few issues to report during the early hours of in-person voting centers in the South Bay.
From San Pedro to Redondo Beach to Carson, voters arrived with little-to-no wait times, with none of the mass technical issues with the new voting systems that plagued the March primary elections.
“I came during my lunch break thinking I’d be rushed on time,” said Kristie Patten, 28, voting at Veterans Park in Carson. “But it took less than 10 minutes to finish.”
On the other side of Los Angeles County, there were also few lines.
At Telfair Elementary School in Pacoima, Ana Cacique of San Fernando came to vote on her day off from work as a nursing assistant in a hospital.
“They helped me do it,” she said in Spanish of the poll workers who gave her a hand navigating the voting machine. “It was perfect.”
Cacique, who immigrated to the U.S. from El Salvador some 30 years ago, wore a red, white and blue headband.
She said she had been too busy with work to vote until Tuesday.
“I’m very grateful for all this country has given me,” she said. “I brought my children and they helped my family. I don’t know how to repay them.”
When asked whether she was afraid of voting due to the coronavirus, Cacique said: “God will help us, right?”
– Hunter Lee and Brenda Gazzar
12:55 p.m. When the Discovery Cube in Santa Ana opened for voting Tuesday morning the 12 people in line wore masks upon entering the building, while voting and upon exiting.
Huntington Beach was different. Several who voted at the Ocean View School District site removed the masks as they exited the polling place.
Orange County Register photographer Mark Rightmire saw an election volunteer encounter resistance when the volunteer requested a voter put on a mask. The voter declined the request and said he was not legally required to wear a mask but soon complied.
– Steve Fryer
12:50 p.m. From the voting center at the Huntington Beach Civic Center … It was like Angel Stadium during a late-September Angels game – quiet and almost empty. An election volunteer said that at the most there were seven people in line to vote Tuesday morning.
Bill and Kristy Furlong did show up to vote. When they arrived they walked to the check-in table and were assisted immediately. No other voters were present.
The Furlongs preferred the process of voting in person rather than do it by mail.
“I just wanted to make sure it got in there and it counted,” said Bill Furlong, 53, “and it doesn’t get lost in the mail or wherever. We just wanted to make sure it happens.”
The Furlongs were not shy to say why they wanted to make sure the vote was counted.
“You can say we voted for Trump,” said a smiling Kristy Furlong, 52.
Bill added, “We’re Republican across the board.”
The Furlongs voted yes on Proposition 22, the proposed measure that would certify app-based drivers as independent contractors rather than as employees. Most of the others got ‘no” votes from them.
The seemingly endless legalese and technical language of propositions sometimes are difficult for voters to digest.
“I think they’re sometimes intended to be that way,” Bill Furlong said. “’Did I just vote yes which means no, or did I vote no which means yes?’”
The Huntington Beach Civic Center voting site was in the city council chambers building. A perimeter made up of segments of blue tape was 100 feet from the voting entrance to support a state law that prohibits electioneering inside of that perimeter.
Just outside of the perimeter was a man at a table with a “Recall Gavin Newsom” sign drooping off of the side of the table and recall petitions at the ready on top of the table. While some who were interviewed about the election were happy to discuss their political thoughts, the man visibly promoting the recall of California’s governor declined to discuss his.
– Steve Fryer
12:40 p.m. The New York Attorney General’s Office is investigating reports of robo phone calls informing voters to “stay safe and stay home.”
CNN reported the calls have happened in at least five states – New York, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska and North Carolina.
It is not clear how many people received those calls.
12:15 p.m. From the Mary Wilson Library in Seal Beach … This polling place was so quiet that the small and normally jammed parking lot had a lot of empty spaces.
Up Seal Beach Boulevard, at the local fire station, only a handful of people stood in a socially distanced line.
And the same serene scene was evidenced at Los Alamitos and Rossmoor polling places.
Candidate signs lining the tree-shaded streets of Rossmoor already seemed anachronistic.
For the past few months, neighbors have argued – sometimes viciously – over politics on the Nextdoor social media site. But now that the day had come, the calmness of resignation, optimism or just plain exhaustion felt palpable.
– Susan Goulding
12:10 p.m. From the Brookhurst Community Center in Anaheim …
Henry Hurtado, 38, and his wife Eva Manzo, 31, posed for a selfie after voting. The couple said they both voted a straight “red” ticket and decided to vote in person because they feared mail-in ballots could get lost.
“I wanted to make sure my vote counts,” Hurtado, an oil worker, said.
– Scott Schwebke
11:50 a.m. We’re checking on a story in Rancho Santa Margarita …
A thread on Facebook this morning describes people in line waiting, not for voting. But to buy guns and ammunition. Apparently, Tuesday is the day new shipments arrive.
UPDATED 12:45 p.m. Store officials said Tuesday is the regular day for shipments of guns and ammunition. So the line outside this morning was the regular Tuesday line, not related to the election. There was no line when a reporter arrived.
11:30 a.m. From St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Fontana … This polling place was busy by late morning in the room with statues of Our Lady of La Vang and Christ on a crucifix.
Maybell Hidalgo of Fontana said she has always voted in elections, but this was the first time she deeply studied the issues.
“I’m concerned the way our nation is right now,” she said. “I wanted to make sure my vote counts.”
Anissa Robinson became emotional as she talked standing in the parking lot about not being perfectly happy with either candidate, but voting anyway.
“I voted my conscience today,” she said, adding that she voted for Biden and Harris because she believes they understand the problems of working-class people.
“I work in banking and finance,” she said. “I don’t want to see another downturn.”
Robinson, who is African American, also said she is concerned about “police brutality and the mistreatment of people of color” and the social inequities in health and education.
“I want to move forward with people who have better morals,” she said.
– Deepa Bharath
11:25 a.m. Morning report from Orange County Registrar of Voters Neal Kelley:
“As of 11 AM today, 27,643 voters have voted at a Vote Center in Orange County,” Kelley tweeted. “Since in-person voting started on 10/30, 204,208 voters have taken care of their voting needs at a Vote Center.”
10:50 a.m. Dropping off already-completed ballots was a popular choice for voters at the Ocean View School District offices polling place in Huntington Beach.
A poll worker at the entrance estimated that five of six voters there took the drop-off option. The Ocean View district office is in a residential neighborhood directly across the street from the voting entrance a home displayed on tall pole a large American flag with an equally-large Trump-Pence flag just below it.
Huntington Beach resident Tim Felker, 41, was among the drop-off voters.
“I feel secure about it,” Felker said, “because we come in and give it to them in person. We do it this way every time.”
Felker, accompanied by his wife and two young children, found this to be an especially important election.
“We believe in freedom,” he said. “We love this country and we want to do our part and make sure we’re on the right path.”
Voting for president and on the 12 state propositions were of particular interest for Felker.
“The presidency is huge,” Felker said. “They (Joe Biden and Donald Trump) are pretty much polar extremes.
“Most of the propositions, I didn’t like many of them. With most of them, so much is buried in it. I like some of the ideas but some of the stuff attached to it? Forget that. I’m voting no.”
Ian Crawford, 32, and Mike Johnson, 62, preferred in-person voting at the Ocean View site.
“Actually it was very easy,” said Johnson who described himself as a regular voter. “I like to register my vote and see it stand.”
Crawford voted for the first time Tuesday.
“I figured this was the best way to vote,” Crawford said. “This way paper ballots don’t get lost in the mail or get ripped up. “
– Steve Fryer
10:35 a.m. For those of you hanging on every detail, did you see what’s happening in North Carolina?
That state was one we were hoping would have relatively early results. But now, according to reporting by CNN, election officials there are considering keeping the polls open longer tonight.
Several polling places in North Carolina didn’t open on time this morning. In two, poll workers were tardy. In another, a printer didn’t work so they kept the doors closed.
10:20 a.m. In Newhall, Alex Reza woke up on Election Day only to find his anti-Trump banner torn down and front yard display vandalized.
The banner read: Trump Lies Thousands Die.
He’d set it up a few days ago in his front yard, in an exercise of his free speech rights. He’d done something similar during the Iraq War.And several neighbors – in a highly pro-Trump neighborhood – complained.
“In recent days, a few neighbors complained about my banner. ‘That sign is disgusting. You ought to be ashamed to put up that sign. I’m going to contact the homeowner’s association,’” Reza said. “Other neighbors remarked positively. ‘Good work, keep it up. You are right, he lies. We have a Biden sign in our front yard,’”
By Tuesday, though, the anti-Trump banner was torn down and a front yard lamp broken.
Reza said he would “resurrect” his banner and keep it on display until Jan. 20.
“I will resurrect my banner and keep it on display until Jan. 20 to remind our people of Trump’s cruel disregard for thousands of our fellow Americans whose lives were lost,” he said.
– Ryan Carter
10 a.m. From the De Anza Teen and Community Center in Ontario … There was a steady stream of voters coming into the community center’s gym to vote. A poll worker scanned their temperatures at the entrance.
Ashten Lipscomb, 22, said this is the first time he came out to vote.
“I care about basic human rights,” he said. “I’ve seen quite a few people in my age group getting out and voting this year compared to the last election. I think we all want a change. We want to make a difference.”
Esther Rodriguez said she has been stressed out because she wants President Trump to win.
“He has done so much for this country,” she said. “I think we are at peace with China. But there are all these people against him. I just hope he wins.”
– Deepa Bharath
9:45 a.m. The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder posted a big number this morning.
More than 14,000 voters were processed in the first hour.
If you need help finding a polling place near you, click here.
9:35 a.m. Los Angeles County Registrar Dean C. Logan is eager to redeem himself and his team during today’s final day of voting.
In February and March, his $300 million network of voting centers got off to a rocky start. From a series of snarls that prevented some centers from opening on time during the early voting period, on through to an Election Day mess marred by long lines and voting well past the usual closing time, it was a tough few weeks during the primary.
The centers in March replaced the old-school neighborhood precincts assigned to specific voters, stocked with traditional manual vote-marking stations.
Logan’s team replaced them with high-tech hubs that featured row upon row of new touch-screen ballot machines. At these centers, any county voter could come to vote early, cast a ballot on election day, register to vote or drop off a ballot – or promptly address a problem with a ballot or registration.
But, in practice, it didn’t always work that way during the primary vote.
An audit revealed that while the system worked just fine in many neighborhoods, it broke down in others, leaving many voters, poll workers, candidates and party officials frustrated.
“We know we have to make sure those kinds of issues don’t happen again,” Logan said after the March tangle.
But the centers were plagued by allegations of equipment failures, poor training and staff shortages.
After severe scrutiny all the way up to the Board of Supervisors, Logan and team vowed a smoother run in November.
November is here. And, colloquially, it’s “so far so good.”
The vote center network sailed through the early voting period – facing what could be record turnout numbers – with only minor problems reported.
On this Election Day, if the registrar’s automated interactive voting map is any indication, few polling places are facing even minor delays so far. Almost all of the “indicator arrows” are green, reflecting a less-than-15-minute wait to vote at centers around the county.
It’s early, though. It will be interesting to see if the army of vote centers can keep pace the rest of the day.
If so, the registrar’s team will probably be looking forward to a return trip to see the Supervisors.
– Tom Bray
9:25 a.m. It’s Election Day, but we can’t forget we are in the middle of a pandemic.
In Huntington Beach at the Ocean View polling place, warnings were posted on a sign out front. Reporter Steve Fryer took a picture and sent it in.
The sign says:
“Please do not enter if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.”
“Wear a face covering.”
“Keep a 6-foot distance from others.”
“Use hand sanitizer often.”
9:10 a.m. From the Fairplex Pomona polling place – Kristina Vasquez of Pomona said she was initially going to mail in her ballot, but later made the decision to vote in person.
“I think it’s important to come in person,” she said. “I have three daughters and I want to show them this is their right.”
Christopher Davenport, 18, who’ll join the USMC in Camp Pendleton 10 days from now, said he was excited to cast his vote for the very first time.
“This is a historic election and I’ll think back to this day 10 years from now and realize how crucial it was for me to come out and vote,” he said.
The polling place has been open for the last 10 days, but workers said it’s been slow. On Election Day, there was a steady stream of voters. A station at the entrance with packs of gloves, masks and bottles of hand sanitizer welcomed voters.
Dene Morris, a poll worker, said things have been quiet so far except for one incident where a voter showed up wearing a Trump t-shirt.
“But she turned it inside out at our request and it was fine,” she said.
– Deepa Bharath
8:40 a.m. There were a couple of rumblings of problems, but they have already been solved.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer called the Southern California News Group this morning to say he was warned about incidents, and they have been handled.
An allegation against a poll worker was investigated and no arrest was made. Calls about people being too close to polling places with campaign signs have been investigated with no arrests being made.
One incident of a candidate being too close to a polling place is still under investigation, Spitzer said. He would not name the candidate.
Spitzer is preparing for action later today when polls close in the east and people get upset because their candidate appears to be losing.
“I encourage you to responsibly exercise your first amendment rights,” Spitzer said. “But there is a line you cannot cross. I’ve protested. If there is uncivil disobedience, we’re going to step in.”
Spitzer said his attorneys and investigators will be quietly monitoring polling places and voter issues all day.
“My goal is to reduce the uniform presence at polling places,” Spitzer said.
8:20 a.m. The place formerly known as the Discovery Science Center, on Main Street in Santa Ana was a voting center Tuesday.
First in line was Bernice Healey, who lives just a few blocks to the west of “The Cube.”
“We have this privilege to vote,” Healey said. “Let’s not abuse it. Be here and be here on time.”
And being there to vote in person was important to her.
“My husband mailed it in,” Healey said. “He thought it was crazy getting up at 5:30 in the morning to come vote.”
Norma Gomez clocked in at work at the Providence Speech and Hearing Center in Orange at 7 a.m., then drove south on Main Street to the Discovery Cube Santa Ana about half a mile away to vote.
And Gomez, 56, voted for the first time in her life.
“I’m always running around doing this and doing that,” Gomez said of her voting debut. “But this time I felt it was very important to vote in this particular year.”
Voting in person, too, was important.
“I wanted to make sure nothing could get changed, that nothing would get lost in the process,” she said. “You hear a lot of things going on. People getting more than one ballot, different addresses, lots of things going on and so I just wanted to make sure.”
Cenisa Gutierrez, 21, was another first-time voter at “The Cube,” formerly known as the Discovery Science Center. She dropped off her completed ballot.
“I just didn’t want to put any more burden on the postal service,” Gutierrez said of her decision to drop off her ballot. “In-person voting, I think that can take too long for COVID reasons so I filled it out at home and give it directly to the poll workers. That way I can see it go in there and know it’s in a secure spot.”
– Steve Fryer
7:45 a.m. We get invitations, lots of invitations, for election night events.
One from weedmaps.com caught our eye. There’s a viewing party called the National Cannabis Festival. They explain that voter turnout isexpected to be especially “high,” and this election is a “buzzworthy” event.
The program begins at 5:30 (PST) and includes:
“… great moments in weed history with Abdullah Saeed & David Bienenstock, election night munchies with Pink Fox, hash making withThe Dank Duchess, Ballot Initiative Happy Hour with NCIA, the Home Stoner’s Network and several moments of Zen to keep spirits highthroughout the evening.”
7:30 a.m. It’s weird to see stores like Louis Vuitton and Tiffany and Company barricaded with plywood on Rodeo Drive. The famous shopping district is closed for vehicle and pedestrian traffic through Nov. 4.
But that’s where we are on Election Day 2020.
Sculptures in Beverly Hills Park and the Beverly Hills sign have been covered with tarp.
It is an open question as to what will inspire incidents in the streets, a Donald Trump victory or a Joe Biden victory?
7:20 a.m. One person ready for election day is Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer.
In case of problems with election violations including fraud, the county’s top prosecutor has assembled a team ready to get involved.
The team includes:
– 13 attorneys from the OCDA Special Prosecutions, who have been specifically trained in election issues.
– 25 investigators.
– 1 analyst.
– 1 investigative aide.
Spitzer and his team will be working with the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, the California Secretary of State and AttorneyGeneral and the Orange County Registrar of Voters.
A hotline has been established if Orange County residents want to report suspected election violations. That number is 714-501-4593. Suspicious activity can also be reported at 2020.election@da.ocgov.com.
“Your vote is your voice,” Spitzer said. “The power of one vote should not be underestimated, and it is our responsibility as prosecutors to ensure that every vote – and every – voice counts. We have taken every step to safeguard this election and provide Orange County residents with the peace of mind that their voice will be heard when they cast their ballot – whether it is by mail, at a ballot box, or by voting in person. Anyone who chooses to violate any section of the election code in Orange County and interfere with the sanctity of the election will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
7 a.m. So many of us are polarized. As we finally hit Election Day, after four years of dread or excitement or a thousand different emotions,there is one statement we all can agree on:
If the other guy wins, I can’t imagine what the world will be like tomorrow.
That’s what everybody is watching today. How will the side of the guy with fewer votes handle defeat?
Will there be riots? Will police have to intervene? Will roads be blocked by protesters? Will people quietly celebrate or grieve inside their own home with a bottle of wine (a fitting way during a pandemic)?
The Southern California News Group will have reporters fanning out across Los Angeles, the South Bay, Riverside, San Bernardino, the Inland Empire and Orange County. We will provide updates here as events happen. So check back here as the day progresses. Each post will have a timestamp at the beginning to let you know the order that events occur.
We’ll be monitoring what is happening across the country and on social media. So it will either be fun or excruciating.
This election seems to have inspired so many on both sides and in the middle. In Orange County, for example, more than 60 percent of registered voters had already cast a ballot through Sunday. As of Monday afternoon, nearly 12 million Californians had voted; that’s more than half the active, registered voters in the state, California’s Secretary of State shared in a tweet.
That’s a lot of early enthusiasm.
Check back throughout the day for updates.