Culver City will be the home five voting centers for the 2020 elections, paired with three ballot drop off boxes already open within city limits. Additionally, there are several other locations and drop-off boxes in unincorporated Los Angeles County territories and other nearby cities for Culver City residents to vote at.
Ballot Drop Boxes
The ballot drop boxes opened officially on Oct. 5, and are available to voters through the Nov. 3 election. The boxes are secured by either being bolted into cement or chained into place, and were locked and covered until 29 days before election in line with California Code of Regulations (CCR) Section 20136. Drop boxes have also been equipped with either a lock that only election officials can unlock or a tamper-evident seal to prevent unauthorized handling of ballots (CCR 20135).
The three ballot drop off boxes in Culver City are are the following locations:
- Culver City Julian Dixon Library (4975 Overland Ave.)
- Fox Hills Parklette (Buckingham Parkway & Hannum Avenue)
- West Los Angeles College Library (9000 Overland Ave.)
There are also several other ballot boxes located close to Culver City, yet technically remains just outside of the city’s borders. These include, but are not limited to:
- La Cienega/Jefferson Station (3420 South La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles)
- Palms – Rancho Branch Library (2920 Overland Ave., Los Angeles)
- Mar Vista Branch Library (12006 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles)
- Genesee Avenue Park (2330 South Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles)
For a full list and map of ballot box locations, visit the Ballot Drop Box section on the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s (RR/CC) office at lavote.net/home/voting-elections/voting-options/vote-by-mail/vbm-ballot-drop-off
Ballots will be retrieved from these boxes by two designated ballot retrievers at regular intervals. These retrievers will be clearly identifiable when conducting their duties in public by a badge or similar visual I.D., and must take the following oath prior to retrieving ballots: “I, ___________, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties upon which I am about to enter.”
While there are no specifics given about when the ballots will be picked up, the city is subject to state regulations, which requires the following:
Ballots shall be retrieved from both staffed and unstaffed drop boxes at least every 96 hours (four days), excluding Saturdays and Sundays, between the 29th day before the election (Oct. 5) and the 10th day (Oct. 24) before an election.
Ballots shall be retrieved from staffed drop boxes at least every 72 hours (three days), excluding Saturdays and Sundays, after the 10th day before the election through the closing of the polls on Election Day. The elections official shall develop procedures for contacting locations of staffed drop boxes between ballot retrieval periods to determine if an additional retrieval is needed.
Ballots shall be retrieved from unstaffed drop boxes every 24 hours, excluding Saturdays and Sundays, after the 10th day prior to an election through the closing of the polls on Election Day.
Staffed drop boxes are those that are in a secure location, and are generally monitored by either a person or video surveillance. These drop boxes are only available when the location hosting the box is open, which means they are generally not open for 24 hours a day.
Unstaffed drop boxes are boxes that are not being monitored, and are generally available 24 hours a day. All three of the drop boxes in Culver City are unstaffed, but the La Cienega/Jefferson Station drop box is staffed, subject to the station’s regular hours of operation.
While there have been issues around the state of California regarding fake ballot boxes planted by the California Republican Party, the city clerk’s office of Culver City stated that as of Oct. 19, there have been no reports of fake ballot boxes in Culver City.
Vote Centers
Of the three boxes that are within city limits, two will have vote centers at the same facilities. These centers are located at:
- Culver City Julian Dixon Library (4975 Overland Ave.)
- West Los Angeles College Instrument Hall: FA 104 (9000 Overland Ave.)
Additionally there are three other centers in the city available to voters at the following locations:
- Four Points by Sheraton LA Westside Marina Ballroom and Foyer (5990 Green Valley Cir.)
- Courtyard by Marriott LA West Side Palisades Room (6333 Bristol Pkwy.)
- Veterans Memorial Complex Auditorium (4117 Overland Ave.)
The Four Points and West Los Angeles College vote centers will be open on Oct. 24, with the remaining centers opening Oct. 30. Centers will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. up until Election Day, where they will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
In addition to the traditional ballot available at vote centers, vote by mail ballots can also be dropped off at every center. Voters who missed the Oct. 19 registration deadline can also register at any vote center when they cast a ballot. Once the registration is verified by the state, the vote will be counted.
In order to combat COVID-19 at vote centers, the RRCC has implemented special training for workers this year. There will be prevention and self-screening measures in place for workers, including hand-washing, face covering, and disinfection protocols.
Hand sanitizer will be provided to voters who do decide to vote in person, and traditional COVID-19 guidelines will be in place. Face coverings will be required while waiting in line, and they will be available alongside gloves at the vote center on request.
There will also be a curbside voting, which according to the RRCC website, allows “any voter who cannot reach the voting area at the vote center because of architectural barriers or physical limitations to request to vote ‘curbside’ (outside of the vote center location). A vote center worker will bring a ballot and a voting device to the voter, assist the voter if necessary and place the voter’s ballot in the ballot box.”
Contact registrar Dean Logan at 800-815-2666 for more information curbside polling and its availability at your local vote center.