In-person voting will soon become more convenient for Boyle Heights residents, with pop-up vote centers opening this weekend in this eastside community of Los Angeles.
After noticing that no vote centers were planned to open in this largely working-class, Latino neighborhood for California’s special election on redistricting, L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis urged county election officials to make in-person voting available in Boyle Heights.
“Voting is one of the most powerful ways we shape our collective future,” said Solis, who represents the neighborhood. “Every community deserves accessible and convenient opportunities to participate in our democracy.”
This week, the L.A. County registrar’s office said additional pop-up vote centers will open this weekend. The centers will be open on the following days:
• Saturday, 6-10 p.m.: Día de Los Muertos Festival; 1831 1st St., Los Angeles
• Sunday and Monday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.: Boyle Heights City Hall; 2130 1st St., Los Angeles (parking area)
• Tuesday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.: Boyle Heights Senior Center; 2839 E. 3rd St., Los Angeles
L.A. County Registrar Dean Logan, in a statement, said the short window his office had to prepare for the special election made finding places to serve as vote centers a challenge. The statewide special election wasn’t called until late August, giving local officials a shorter runway than usual to execute plans.
“Boyle Heights has long been a priority for vote center placement in Los Angeles County, and we will continue that tradition for this election and all upcoming elections,” Logan said.
“Efforts to secure city facilities for vote centers under the short lead time for the special election were initially unsuccessful due to scheduling conflicts; however, I’m pleased to announce that in partnership with county, city and community partners, we are able to add pop-up vote center deployments in the Boyle Heights area,” he added.
Voters are being asked in this special election whether to approve Proposition 50, which would adopt new, partisan congressional maps that would position Democrats to pick up five additional U.S. House seats. (Solis has announced plans to run for a new congressional seat that would be created should Prop. 50 pass.)
If the ballot measure passes, the new maps would be used for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 congressional elections. California would then return to having an independent commission draw congressional maps for future elections.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, who supports Prop. 50, says the move would counter similar gerrymandering efforts in red states where President Donald Trump has encouraged lawmakers to adopt new maps to make it easier for Republicans to retain control of the House after next year’s midterm elections.
But parties have accused the other side of “rigging” the elections.
Tuesday is the last day to vote in this special election. Voters can also drop off their ballots in the mail or in ballot drop boxes.
Information about voting options, including locations for vote centers and ballot drop boxes in L.A., Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties, can be found on the Southern California News Group’s online voter guide.