Voters in California are heading to the polls Tuesday for their last chance to cast a ballot in the 2024 general election.
People can vote in person or drop off their ballot at any ballot drop box. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Find your nearest voting center here and check out our voter guide for Boyle Heights and Eastside residents here.
For those who missed the deadline to register to vote, there’s still a chance. Learn more about same day voter registration here.
Since the day vote centers opened for early voting in Boyle Heights, residents have been dropping off ballots and lining up to vote in person.
Some carry sample ballots to help guide their choices while others opt to research council members, senators, local judges and propositions on their phones.
Leticia Malagon, 57 and her daughter, Aaliyah Malagon, came to the Boyle Heights Senior Center on the eve of Election Day to vote together. Aaliyah, 20, missed a class at Cal State L.A. to vote for the first time. She said she was nervous about the outcome of the election but came to the polling place with her mind made up – at least when it came to the presidential race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
“I know that Kamala [Harris] is a really great woman and she’s hard-working as well. I know that if she does make it to office, she will do great things for the United States of America,” Aaliyah Malagon said. “Being a college student, there’ll be way more opportunities for many more people to get into universities and much more.”
Leticia Malagon said she votes in every election and was excited to finally vote with her daughter. The Boyle Heights resident said she was eager to cast votes for Kevin de León, the embattled incumbent facing off against Ysabel Jurado in L.A.’s City Council District 14 race, as well as for Rep. Adam Schiff who is running against Steve Garvey in California’s U.S. Senate race. She said she staunchly supported Harris, and was anxious about a potential second presidency for Trump.
“That worries me a lot. [Trump] has divided us so much, and we want the first female president. I know she’s gonna pull ahead,” Leticia said.
For Bob Arellano, 76, the teachings of the Bible strongly influenced his conservative choices at the polls, he said. The East L.A. resident stopped by Malabar Street Elementary School Monday afternoon to vote as he has in every election.
“Abortion is one of the biggest things. I have great-great-grandchildren so I’m against [abortion]. Kamala is not against it so I have to go the other way,” Arellano said.
Boyle Heights resident Brian Nicolas-Espinoza came to the polling place after an early morning shift at work. The 29-year-old said he was considering the war in the Middle East but was trying to make the best decision and not just cast a “protest vote.” Although he didn’t outright voice support for Harris, a win from Trump worried him.
“I’m still getting familiar with politics, but still, [a Trump presidency] would be pretty devastating for a lot of people of color and women,” Nicola-Espinoza said. “We all, as a collective, have to try to divert the prejudice and everything that the [Republican] party supports.”
At Tenrikyo Church in Boyle Heights, Jimena Jiménez said she saw voting as a duty to not just herself, but to her family who could not vote due to their citizenship status. Her sister, who was a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient, recently died so she was never able to vote. Jiménez said she was voting in her honor, too.
“I’m the first person in my family’s history to be able to vote in the U.S., and they’ve lived here for over 30 years. So being the first one made me feel emotional. It made me feel brave that I’m not doing this for myself. I’m doing it for my family and for people who are not able to vote,” Jiménez said.
The 20-year-old Boyle Heights resident said the election has taken a toll on her mental health. She said she hardly slept the night before.
“I was emotional watching TikTok videos about the election. It was a lot of stress, but I’m hopeful,” she said.
Here is a list of vote centers in Boyle Heights:
- Boyle Heights Senior Center (2839 E. 3rd Street)
- KIPP Promesa Prep (1241 S. Soto Street)
- Lou Costello Recreation Center (3141 E. Olympic Boulevard)
- Tenrikyo Church (117 N. Saratoga Street)
- Ramon Garcia Recreation Center (1016 S. Fresno Street)
- Ramona Gardens Boys & Girls Club (2830 Lancaster Ave)
- Malabar Street Elementary School (3200 Malabar Street)
Carol Martinez contributed to this story.
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