STARTING this week, 5.6 million registered voters in Los Angeles County will begin to receive their vote by mail ballots for the November 3 presidential general election.

Following an order by Governor Gavin Newsom, vote by mail ballots will be automatically sent to every active registered voter in California to help slow the spread of COVID-19 and provide a safe voting option.

Meanwhile, LA County voters can cast their ballots in-person at the county registrar-recorder headquarters in Norwalk beginning this week. Select vote centers will begin on Saturday, October 24, while all vote centers will be open by October 31 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

All vote centers will follow state and county public health and safety guidelines, such as: voters wearing facial coverings and gloves (coverings and gloves will be made available if needed); wiping and sanitizing all surfaces and Ballot Marking Devices after each voter; social distancing of 6 feet; and election workers wearing protective gloves and masks.

In addition to dropping off the vote by mail ballots at the post office, the county has 400 secure drop boxes where voters can return their ballots through Election Day.

After returning the voted ballot at a drop box or by mail, voters can check their ballot to make sure it was received and tallied on the Where’s My Ballot tracking tool (https://california.ballottrax.net). (AJPress)