Election integrity fears are running high. ‘A lot of people have lost a little trust’
Your morning catch-up: Delivering mail-in ballots, L.A. landlords turn parking spaces into ADUs and more big stories
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Have you ever felt you were doing something so inefficiently that nobody else in the world would do the same thing?
That’s how I have felt on every election day since ballots started arriving at my house by mail.
I love the convenience of opening that fat envelope in front of the computer, with a fresh pot of coffee and plenty of snacks. I need the internet and the extra calories to plow through the ever-growing list of candidates I’ve never heard of and ballot propositions I don’t know nearly enough about.
But then, I don’t drop the envelope in the mail and get on with my life, even though the ballots are pre-addressed and stamped. It inevitably sits on the coffee table until election day and I make a mad dash to the polling place to turn it in before the election passes me by.
Voting “by mail” only to hand-deliver the ballot seems pretty inefficient, but yesterday I learned it’s becoming very common — and not primarily due to procrastination.
Why so many voters are hand-delivering their mail-in ballots
Michael Schroder, an employee in the Los Angeles County Chief Executive Office, volunteers at the polls. He said most people arriving at the Bay Shore Community Congregational Church in Long Beach were dropping off already completed mail-in ballots.
“It’s about 50% more,” than the number of people filling out ballots from scratch at the church, Schroder said.
Sure enough, as I stood there at noon yesterday, one after another of my neighbors strolled up with the unmistakable orange envelope in hand.
Since they were arriving a full day before the polls closed, they clearly weren’t procrastinators like me. So why hadn’t they just mailed their ballots a couple of weeks ago?
Almost all said they were worried about the integrity of the system.
“I do this to make sure it gets in the right hands and doesn’t get lost or stolen,” said Kathleen Thurmond, 74. “It’s just my experience mailing things, sometimes it takes weeks to get there instead of taking just a few days, like it should.”
Voters have lost ‘a little trust’ in the system
Larry Shroeder, 79, said he likes getting out of the house and enjoying the fresh air. But he’s also worried about the security of his vote.
“When you read all of these stories about people tampering,” he said, “I think a lot of people have lost a little trust.”
Even the hundreds of designated drop boxes scattered across Los Angeles County — which are bolted into the concrete or chained in place — left some feeling uneasy.
“There’s one that I could walk to, over by my house,” said retired teacher Linda Baron, who drove to the polling place instead. “But I want to be absolutely sure it’s counted, and I just have a tiny bit more faith here than dropping it in that box.”
I was saddened by how much fear and suspicion I was hearing, by how much doubt has been sown into our once mundane and unremarkable election process.
My neighbors weren’t worried that the wrong candidates might win, they were worried the election, itself, might be untrustworthy.
That’s a much bigger problem and a stark reminder of the times we live in.
Top stories
California voters fear the feds may try to stop vote count
- Among California voters, 63% worry that the federal government may attempt to stop the counting of votes in California and other states in the days following the election.
- Unprecedented levels of concern come amid a cascade of legal actions by the Trump administration to interfere in California’s elections.
Which races might foreshadow a ‘blue wave’?
- House races in certain districts — including in Kentucky, Iowa, New York, Texas, Michigan and Maine — could provide early clues about how the night will go.
- The House majority could become clear before the night is over and control of the Senate could come down to a single race.
L.A. landlords are turning parking spaces into ADUs
- An increasing number of landlords are converting parking spaces and garages into accessory dwelling units under a new state law intended to help ease California’s housing crisis.
- Tenant advocates say that taking away parking spaces particularly harms the city’s most vulnerable: senior citizens and those with disabilities who aren’t mobile enough to compete for street parking.
More news
- For all their dominance, California Democrats will emerge from Tuesday’s election facing considerable challenges.
- The Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration’s bid to set aside 20,000 California ballots.
- Mayoral candidate Nithya Raman ousted a campaign staffer over “reprehensible” remarks.
- L.A.’s next mayor faces high expectations with little room for error.
- Two people were killed, two others were injured in a state beach shooting in Monterey County, police say.
- Two California college students were injured in a deadly train crash in Spain.
Commentary and opinion
- How will the recent California ICE surge affect the midterm elections?
- Can AI bots become conscious? Columnist Michael Hiltzik explains why Microsoft’s AI boss says that’s the wrong question.
Editor’s pick
The extensive coastal flooding that swamped Los Angeles and Orange counties recently was influenced by an El Niño-powered global-scale phenomenon known as a Kelvin wave, scientists confirmed.
More picks
- Olivia. Chappell. Devon Again? L.A.’s alt-pop star stares down life-changing fame.
Things to do
- 📚Here are 10 books to read in November: Memoirs from Willie Nelson, Bob Woodward, LeVar Burton and more.
- 🛍️Gift-giving season has arrived. Here are 25 holiday gifts for L.A. food fans.
- 🪴Learn about fall plant events in our plants newsletter and how to buy chrysanthemums at an upcoming San Gabriel Valley Chrysanthemum Society show.
Today’s recipe
Start your morning with a cup of spiced Mexican hot chocolate. This recipe from The Times’ Daniel Hernandez calls for water and a half-cup of milk to give the chocolate a bit of body. Plus, plenty of fragrant spices, and a hint of heat.
Photo of the day
Games
Here’s today’s mini crossword, plus our other free, daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and jigsaw games.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Jack Dolan, investigative reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, fast break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com.
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