Palisades and Altadena Residents Warned about Possible Voting Issues

Governor Gavin Newsom

Displaced residents of Pacific Palisades and Altadena need to check on their voter status to vote in the November 4 special election on redistricting (Proposition 50), the 2026 midterms, the Los Angeles mayoral race and the California gubernatorial election.

Los Angeles County Registrar Dean Logan said ballots are not automatically forwarded to new addresses because they are tied to the voter’s registered address.

To receive a vote-by-mail ballot, displaced residents should keep a home address the same and add a temporary mailing address. You can do this by re-registering online at lavote.gov or registertovote.ca.gov – and check the box that says “my mailing address is different from my home address.”

You can also call the voter information hotline at (800) 815-2666.

County Registrar Dean Logan

“In the event a ballot doesn’t get to you, again, that’s that fail-safe method of having those vote centers located throughout the county for that 11-day voting period,” Logan said.

If you’ve permanently relocated following the fires, you should update your home address. This will determine your ability to vote in local elections tied to your new residential address.

Logan said, “Don’t expect your vote-by-mail ballot to just show up wherever you’re currently living.”

CTN received a notice from L.A. County Registrar Public Information Specialist Daylyn Presley on September 25.

He wanted to alert the media to the Draft 2026 Election Administration Plan (EAP), which covers: Multilingual Language Access; Voter Outreach; Vote Center Selection; Ballot Drop Boxes, and Accessibility.

Readers were asked to imagine: “It is seven days before Election Day 2024 — a first-time Spanish-speaking voter in the San Fernando Valley arrives at a Vote Center near her workplace. There, a bilingual Election Worker greets her and guides her to a Ballot Marking Device that provides full Spanish-language assistance, allowing her to confidently cast and mark her ballot in the language she speaks and understands.”

Presley wrote, “We are more than happy to provide more context or connect you with subject-matter experts from our office to help you craft a great local story about the importance of voting.”

CTN, whose father’s side of the family did not speak English at home, asked Presley, if someone is a citizen, should they not be able to speak English?  Or in the case of many, as people learned the language, a younger one helped the older one with reading–until they were proficient.

If one becomes a citizen, one of the requirements of naturalization is English language proficiency click here.

The county offers language assistance for voting in 18 languages: English makes 19.

Presley was also asked about accessibility. If people can make it to grocery stores to shop, why would they not be able to go to a local polling place?

Presley did not respond to either query.

The Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s media and outreach budget for 2025-2026 is $4.125 million. The EAP notes “These resources will be dedicated to delivering a large-scale, multilingual, and multicultural voter education campaign designed to ensure that all County voters and residents are informed of their voting rights, accessible voting options, and the full range of election resources available to them.”

To read the entire 82-page 2026 Election Administration Plan click here.

And in the meantime, residents should check their voting status so you can vote in the special November election. One would not want to miss voting on Proposition 50, which is estimated to cost $282 million (paid for by taxpayers) to be put on the ballot. Because of a printing error, the cost is now $284 million, it cost $2 million to correct the error.