How to vote on Prop 50 Election Day in California

Voters in Southern California are casting ballots in a special election with nationwide ramifications.

Prop 50 is the only question before the state’s 23 million registered voters. The measure, a response to Texas’ gerrymandering effort, would tilt several congressional districts in favor of Democrats.

Election Day is Tuesday, but more that 5 million vote-by-mail ballots have already been returned, according to the Secretary of State. In Los Angeles County, 952,231 of the more than 5 million vote-by-mail ballots issued had been returned last weeks

Here’s what to know about voting on Election Day.

Find a Los Angeles County vote center

The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office vote centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for in-person voting, voter registration and vote-by-mail returns. The county has mailed all voters a postcard listing the nearest 11-day and 4-day vote centers.

Click here to find a Los Angeles County vote center.

A complete list and map of vote center locations is available here, including optional GPS tracking to identify the location nearest at the time of the query. County officials encouraged voters to review their ballots carefully and vote early.

Voters can save time at the vote center with an interactive sample ballot. This optional tool allows voters to view and mark their selections on a smartphone or computer and instantly transfer their votes to the ballot-marking device using their poll pass.

Find a ballot drop box in LA County

The ballot drop box program was launched in 2017. Voters can return their ballots by placing them in any of more than 400 drop boxes across the county, sending them through the mail by election day or visiting one of many county vote centers.

The drop boxes will be available until 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Additional ballot dropbox locations for the following counties can be found here:

Voting by mail

Ballots postmarked by Election Day and received within seven days by county elections officials will be processed, verified and counted. Elections officials recommend mailing ballots at least seven days prior to Election Day.

Electioneering violations

The same rules around electioneering at a vote center apply to ballot drop boxes. Electioneering is not allowed within the “immediate vicinity of a person in line to cast their ballot or within 100 feet of the entrance of a polling place, curbside voting or drop box the following activities are prohibited,” the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk office said. Violations can results in fines or jail time.

Here are prohibited activities.

• Do not ask a person to vote for or against any candidate or ballot measure.
• Do not display a candidate’s name, image, or logo.
• Do not block access to or loiter near any ballot drop boxes.
• Do not provide any material or audible information for or against any candidate or ballot measure near any polling place, vote center, or ballot drop box.
• Do not circulate any petitions, including for initiatives, referenda, recall, or candidate nominations.
• Do not distribute, display, or wear any clothing (hats, shirts, signs, buttons, stickers) that include a candidate’s name, image, logo, and/or support or oppose any candidate or ballot measure.
• Do not display information or speak to a voter about the voter’s eligibility to vote.

How to register to vote

Eligible voters who have not yet registered can visit any vote center, complete a conditional voter registration and cast a ballot in this election. Once the registration is validated through the statewide database, the ballot is processed like all others.

How to track your ballot

California is one of several states that use the BallotTrax system. Click here to access the system, enter your information and track your ballot. You’ll receive alerts about your ballot’s location.

About the Prop 50 special election

The special election includes only one measure, Proposition 50, which is a proposal to temporarily redraw California’s congressional district lines for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections in an attempt to create more Democratic seats in the House.

The special election was called after a similar move in Texas designed to create more Republican seats.

Getting there

LA Metro will be offering free rides across its transit system to help voters get to the polls or drop off their mail-in-ballot. The free rides will be available on Election Day.

After Election Day in California

Here’s what happens after Election Day.

• Nov. 4: Election Day in California. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by Nov. 12.
• Dec. 2: This is the first day for county elections officials to certify election results.
• Dec. 4: The last day for county officials to certify election results.
• Dec. 5: One complete copy of special election returns must be sent from county elections officials to the Secretary of State.
• Dec. 12: A statement of vote is certified by the Secretary of State.