NOTE: We are reposting this important information after hearing of various voting problems citywide…

1. Know where to go to cast your vote! Find your polling location here.

2. Bring your photo ID, if you have one. You are not required to show ID unless you are a first time voter, but play it safe. Bring an ID just in case.

3. Know your rights! Insist on voting on a regular ballot if you are a registered voter. But if there is a problem, vote using a provisional ballot. No voter can be turned away without being allowed to vote.

4. Review your sample ballot before going to your polling place. Bring a list of candidates and ballot measures – that you intend to vote for – with you. Visit our list of recommended sites for information on California Propositions and L.A. County ballot measures.

5. Check your ballot before you finalize your vote!

6. Bring a cell phone. If you have problems, call the Secretary of State’s VOTER HOTLINE (1-800-345-VOTE), Common Cause (1-866-MYVOTE1) or the Election Protection Hotline (1-866-OURVOTE).

7. Do not wear campaign T-shirts, hats or buttons bearing the name of any politician or political campaign on them, including Barack Obama.

8. Election Day voter turnout is expected to set all-time records. Be prepared to wait in long lines at your polling place. (a) Arrive early in the morning, if possible. (b) If you plan to vote at night, arrive before the polls close at 8:00 p.m. – you will be legally guaranteed your right to vote. (c) If you arrive before 8:00 p.m., do not allow poll workers to close the polls until you have voted.

9. Bring a folding chair if you have problems standing for an extended period of time at your polling place

10. Bring bottled water and a snack, if necessary.

1. Know where to go to cast your vote! Find your polling location here.

2. Bring your photo ID, if you have one. You are not required to show ID unless you are a first time voter, but play it safe. Bring an ID just in case.

3. Know your rights! Insist on voting on a regular ballot if you are a registered voter. But if there is a problem, vote using a provisional ballot. No voter can be turned away without being allowed to vote.

4. Review your sample ballot before going to your polling place. Bring a list of candidates and ballot measures – that you intend to vote for – with you. Visit our list of recommended sites for information on California Propositions and L.A. County ballot measures.

5. Check your ballot before you finalize your vote!

6. Bring a cell phone. If you have problems, call the Secretary of State’s VOTER HOTLINE (1-800-345-VOTE), Common Cause (1-866-MYVOTE1) or the Election Protection Hotline (1-866-OURVOTE).

7. Do not wear campaign T-shirts, hats or buttons bearing the name of any politician or political campaign on them, including Barack Obama.

8. Election Day voter turnout is expected to set all-time records. Be prepared to wait in long lines at your polling place. (a) Arrive early in the morning, if possible. (b) If you plan to vote at night, arrive before the polls close at 8:00 p.m. – you will be legally guaranteed your right to vote. (c) If you arrive before 8:00 p.m., do not allow poll workers to close the polls until you have voted.

9. Bring a folding chair if you have problems standing for an extended period of time at your polling place

10. Bring bottled water and a snack, if necessary.

On Saturday, October 4th, a combined group of Mar Vista Neighbors for Peace and Justice and Westside Progressives asked Senator Ridley-Thomas about the many election integrity issues facing Los Angeles. Ridley-Thomas thrilled the audience by calling for an audit of the Registrar’s office and questioning the commitment of former Registrar Connie McCormack. A partial transcript follows below the video:

QUESTION: As Supervisor how would you plan to help ensure transparency and accuracy of elections in Los Angeles County and enforcement of current election laws if they are broken.

SENATOR RIDLEY-THOMAS: I think it is high time for us to have an audit of that department.

I was a bit troubled by Connie McCormack’s tenure and then the transition to Dean Logan and how there was just complete lethargy, or lackadaisical disposition with respect to the decline to states – some 50,000 persons in this county who have been effectively disenfranchised in the presidential primary…

But it was activists who in their gut, in their heart, knew that something was fundamentally wrong. What bothers me, though, is that they had to be pushed to do the right thing. Think about that. Something as fundamental and arguably as sacred — and I don’t mean that in the theological sense. I just mean as precious, as foundational, as elemental as the right to vote and the protection of the franchise –was so frivolously ignored…

So that does concern me and you can expect me to raise my voice on that question. A lot of the work I’ve done since having been in the legislature has been in this specific area to make a more robust level of citizen participation and involvement starting at the high school level all the way through…

So that was a longwinded response. But I’ve been thinking about this and it really does bother me that people were not upset enough about it. You know, being upset about certain things is only a matter of character and good sense.