By Michelle Lim & Audrey Yoshimura
Staff Writers
How to vote in TC
As Election Day approaches on Tues., Nov. 3, early voting and in-person voting locations are available to individuals in TC at polling centers. Residents can also drop off their ballots at the Temple City Post Office.
Registered voters in CA must be a citizen of the U.S. and at least age 18 on Election Day. Parolees, current prisoners and individuals deemed mentally incompetent by a court cannot vote.
Individuals can register to vote or check their voter statuses online at registertovote.ca.gov. Voters must have registered by Oct. 19 in order to participate in the election.
There are two voting centers in TC, in the Cloverly Elementary School cafeteria and the Temple City High School gym. In-person voting is available at these locations from Oct. 30 to Nov. 2 at 10 a.m.-7 p.m. and on Election Day from 7 a.m.-8 p.m.
ID is required for new voters and individuals who registered without a license, state ID or Social Security number. Voters should provide ID in the following acceptable forms: U.S. passports, driver licenses, official state ID or student ID.
Individuals wanting to vote by mail should have requested a mail-in ballot by Oct. 27 and should drop them off at boxes at the city hall, a post office or at polling centers. Ballots must be postmarked no later than Nov. 3 at 8 p.m.
Alternatives to voting
If an individual is ineligible to vote, there are other ways to contribute to the democratic voting process, such as sharing petitions, volunteering for political parties or working at voting centers.
Raising awareness about petitions is one of the most accessible ways to be involved in politics regardless of citizenship or age. Change.org is a platform open for the public to create, sign and share petitions.
Aside from active involvement with the election process, volunteering for political parties allows people to learn about the innerworkings of campaigning and general partisan politics.
Another option is to help local voter booths on Election Day. High school students must fill out the CA poll worker application at pollworker.sos.ca.gov/s to apply. Once accepted, volunteers will login at losangeles-ca-new.training.clarityelections.com for confirmation.
Unbiased election sources
Website organizations, government issued voter guides and independent fact checking sites offer extensive information for this year’s elections.
BallotPedia and Just Facts are both nonprofit and nonpartisan websites that provide general information. BallotPedia is orientated towards CA voters, providing a short summary on propositions and the running candidates. Similarly, Just Facts is an interactive website that allows users to learn about candidates’ stances on issues based on quotes and public records.
Voter Guide CA is the official nonprofit and nonpartisan government-ran voter guide. It compares different arguments from each political party to give a balanced view.
For analyzing quotes or claims, Politifact and FactCheck are both independent fact-checking sites that aim to reduce political inaccuracy, allowing Americans to critically think for themselves and form their own political opinions.