Easy access vote centers planned for 2020 in Los Angeles County

LOS ANGELES (FOX 11 / CNS) - Los Angeles voters can weigh in on where they'd like to cast their ballots in 2020, as part of a plan to make voting more convenient.

Los Angeles County plans to replace traditional polling places -- which are specific locations assigned to voters based on their home address -- with "vote centers'' that can be accessed by any voter over an 11-day period prior to and including election day.

The goal is to increase voter engagement and access, making voting easy for everyone, including residents who are geographically isolated, have disabilities or are reliant on public transportation.

County staffers are analyzing population density, demographics, traffic patterns and voter behavior to decide where to locate centers, but they also want voters to let them know what locations are most convenient.

Residents can offer input at http://www.placeworkscivic.com/project/lacovcpp. The county will also be holding community meetings to gather more feedback.

Every city with at least 1,000 registered voters will have at least one vote center, according to information provided by the Registrar- Recorder/County Clerk's office.

The goal is to provide at least one center for every 30,000 registered voters 10 days prior to the election and one per every 7,500 registered voters on the four days leading up and including election day. The centers will be open at least eight hours a day during the first seven days and then from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the final four days.

Under the new system, the county will offer same day voter registration and distribute vote by mail drop boxes across the county.