How to ensure your vote counts

By Jennifer Oldham

Nov. 3, 2008 12 AM PT

Oldham is a Times staff writer.

A record number of voters are expected to jam polling places Tuesday to cast their ballots in a historic election that will send either the first African American president or the first female vice president to the White House, as well as decide 12 statewide ballot issues. Here’s what you need to know to avoid hassles and ensure that your vote is counted:

How do I find out if I am registered to vote? How do I find my polling place?

You can find your polling place online or by phone. You can check your registration status by phone or, in some counties, online. See the list accompanying this article for telephone numbers and Web addresses.

What if my name does not appear on the voter registration list?

Request a provisional ballot at your polling place.

What is a provisional ballot?

Such ballots ensure that no properly registered voter is denied the right to cast a ballot. Poll workers will ask a voter to use a provisional ballot if the voter’s name doesn’t appear on a polling place roster; if they never received their mail-in ballot; if they moved within their county without re-registering to vote; or if they’re voting for the first time in a federal election and failed to bring identification.

How do I know if my provisional ballot was counted?

Election officials are required to provide information to voters about whether their provisional ballot was counted. Officials urge voters to provide detailed information with a provisional ballot describing where and when they registered to vote. Workers will also check to see if signatures provided with a provisional ballot match those on registration forms. If the provisional ballot is rejected, election officials are required to provide voters with the reason why.

Do I need to bring identification, or other paperwork, to my polling place?

In a federal election, if you are voting for the first time and registered to vote by mail, you may be asked to show a photo ID, or provide a document, such as a recent utility bill, that indicates your name and residence address. Voters who registered by mail and have not previously voted in that county will also be asked for identification.

What if I haven’t sent my mail-in ballot back?

Bring the ballot to the registrar’s office, or any polling place in your county, by 8 p.m. Tuesday.

What if my mail-in ballot does not arrive at my home by Tuesday?

You can request a provisional ballot at your polling place. You do not need to prove that your vote-by-mail ballot was lost; however, the registrar will hold your provisional ballot until it can be determined that you did not use the mail-in ballot.

What is electioneering?

State law prohibits voters from bringing materials to a polling place that advocate for or against a specific candidate or measure on the ballot. If a voter wears a shirt, hat, or button or carries a sign with a slogan supporting or opposing candidates or propositions within 100 feet of their polling place, a poll worker will ask them to remove it, cover it up or turn it inside out.

What if I make a mistake on my ballot?

Voters may give a mis-marked ballot back to poll workers and request a new one up to three times.

Can I take time off from work to vote?

State law allows voters to take up to two hours off to vote without losing pay. Time off to vote can be only at the beginning or the end of a regular work shift, unless the employee makes other arrangements with a supervisor.

Will there be special assistance for me if I am elderly or disabled?

About 95% of Los Angeles County’s 4,400 or so polling places are accessible to voters using wheelchairs. To find the nearest accessible polling place, call (562) 466-1310. Disabled voters also are allowed to cast their ballot curbside if their polling place is not accessible. An audio booth is also available at some polling places for voters who are visually impaired and those who prefer assistance in other languages including Chinese (Cantonese or Mandarin), Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog/Filipino or Vietnamese.

If I am waiting in line at 8 p.m. Tuesday, will I still be allowed to vote?

Yes, all voters who are in line when the polls start to close will be allowed to cast a ballot.

How come ballots look different throughout the county?

Election law requires candidates’ names for some offices to change positions on various ballots. Consequently, one candidate’s name does not always appear first, or last, on each ballot group. Los Angeles County -- the nation’s single largest voting district -- has 706 different ballot groups.

How are precincts determined?

Los Angeles County precincts serve up to 950 voters each. Precinct boundaries can change from election to election as people move and register to vote. Election officials also replace up to 15% of the county’s polling places between major elections because former sites are no longer available.

Are all ballots cast before 8 p.m. Tuesday counted right away?

No. Statewide, about 20% of all ballots cast are not part of the election night tally. Those mainly include provisional ballots and mail-in ballots sent or hand-delivered after Oct. 31 and through 8 p.m. Tuesday. During the 28-day canvass period, an internal audit required under state law, workers research those ballots to ensure their validity and verify results received from polling locations.

jennifer.oldham@latimes.com

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Reaching the registrar

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Online: www.lavote.net

By phone: (800) 815-2666

ORANGE COUNTY

Online: www.ocvote.com

By phone: (714) 567-7600

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Online: www.election .co.riverside.ca.us

By phone: (951) 486-7200