Registering to Vote

With 3.5 million Los Angeles County registered voters, the Democratic and Republican parties are lagging about 1,000 voters behind their registration pace of 1988.

Almost half of the 6.7 million people of voting age in Los Angeles County are not registered. Many are not eligible because they are not citizens. Here are tips on how to register:

Deadline: Registration deadline is Oct. 5.

Requirements: To register, you must be a U.S. citizen at least 18 years old. And you must be a resident of the state 29 days before the election.

Forms: Registration forms can be obtained by calling the Los Angeles County Voter Registration office at (800) 325-0918. For more information, call (213) 721-1100 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays. Forms can also be picked up at most county offices, City Hall, post offices, banks, libraries and the DMV.

Sample ballots: Ballots in English will be mailed beginning Sept. 24. Ballots will also be available in Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Japanese and Chinese.

Absentee balloting: Applications to vote absentee are on the back page of the sample ballot. They may also be obtained by sending a written request to Absent Voters Section, Box 30450, Los Angeles 90030. The deadline for absentee ballot application requests is Oct. 27.

SOURCE: L.A. County registrar recorder, secretary of state