Concerned LA voters turned out in droves on this historic Election Day, even though they couldn’t influence the main event

“Nervous.” “Emotional.” “Worried.” “Insecure.”

Voters in the Los Angeles area felt like the rest of the country when Election Day arrived.

But with the state’s liberal majority backing California-born Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris in the presidential race, voters hoped to influence the downballot measures and races that would have a daily impact on their lives could have. Ballot issues on housing costs (Proposition 33), shoplifting and drug addiction (Proposition 36), schools (Proposition 2) and dozens of local races drove them to the polls.

“That’s definitely a no for me,” said Koryn Frye-Fuentes, 30, widening her eyes for emphasis as she spun Proposition 36 outside her polling place in Plummer Park in West Hollywood. Incarceration “does not help people with drug addiction.” The proposal, backed by law enforcement, seeks to impose tougher penalties for shoplifting and drug possession. And it strikes a chord in Los Angeles, where certain grocery store aisles now exist locked up, shoplifting has increased and people openly use medications.

The measure would roll back Proposition 47, which was passed a decade earlier to reduce prison overcrowding and direct money toward rehabilitation.

But it wasn’t just local issues that drove people to the polls. Even though Californians had little chance to influence the presidential race, they wanted to take a stand on what they saw as a historic election with many first-time voters.

“I never follow politics. I don’t follow the people of the community,” said Ernie Quintana, a 44-year-old Puerto Rican in El Sereno. “This is my first time ever.”

He came because he wanted to make sure Trump won.

“I feel like, let’s make America great again,” said Quintana, who was recently fired. He said he was not offended by stand-up comedian Tony Hinchcliffe Calling Puerto Rico nonsense before a packed Donald Trump rally in New York last month. “He’s a comedian,” he scoffed. “I didn’t take that personally,”
Moreover, he added, there is a lot of corruption in Puerto Rico.

On the rest of the 10 state election measures, the battle for the U.S. Senate and other local issues, the one issue he has strong opinions on is Proposition 36.

“You get a lot of people who steal repeatedly, and they don’t get in trouble,” he said. “A lot of these stores are closing. Walmart, Target. You go to those places and everything (is) under control.”

While a few remote polling stations recorded wait times of up to an hour, most had wait times less than 15 minutes, and election officials had reported no machine malfunctions. And most voters had already cast their votes by then.

“Since 2020, approximately 80% of people who voted in elections have used the mail-in ballot,” said Michael Sanchez, spokesperson for the Clerk/Registrar. “I expect this to hold. I think when the dust settles you will see this trend continue.”

Election officials expect more than 3 million votes will be cast in Los Angeles County. As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 1.7 million mail-in ballots had been processed. A further 612,000 people had voted in more than 600 centers across the region. It was expected that the majority of those votes would be reflected in the results released by the Registrar/Registrar on Tuesday evening. But an unknown number of ballots continue to arrive.

Law enforcement officials were on alert across the district for a worst-case scenario, although no specific threats had been made as of midday.

At the Connie Norman Transgender Empowerment Center in the Fairfax District, the mood was festive, and Andrea Ruth, 53, enjoyed the “festive” voting experience.

“Every time someone finished voting, everyone applauded,” she exclaimed.

Ruth, who has a school-age child in the Los Angeles Unified School District, said she supported funding for more education. Proposition 2 is a bond measure that would allow California to borrow $10 billion to help finance repairs and upgrades to thousands of public schools and community colleges. “I’m glad there is so much money on the table for LAUSD.”

Katelyn, a 37-year-old voter from West Hollywood who declined to give her last name, said she was moved by Proposition 33, which gives local jurisdictions more leeway to regulate rents.

“I’m in West Hollywood, where rent control already existed and that really helped during the pandemic,” she said as she dropped off her ballot. “It has allowed me to stay in this neighborhood that I love.”

During the lockdowns, she said, neighbors helped each other and the building cultivated a sense of community — in part because people could afford to stay in the same apartments for so long.

“I feel like if that could spread in LA, that would be helpful,” she said.

Across town, Maria Cordes, 59, and her friend Teresa Ayala, 83, came to the El Sereno voting center, motivated for various reasons by the presidential election and ordinary reasons in some state and local races.

Cordes, a Mexican immigrant who lost her job as a nursing assistant due to an injury, voted for Trump because she felt he promised better economic prospects. Ayala, a Salvadoran immigrant, said she felt that way about Harris.

Both were offended by the shoplifters they saw walking out of stores as families struggled to pay for their meals and voted in favor of Proposition 36.

“I want them punished,” Ayala said. “There are people who can’t afford to eat, and then people steal things?”

Both also supported their incumbent councilor, Kevin de León, who was embroiled in controversy for his part in a 2022 scandal involving a leaked audio recording with colleagues that contained inflammatory comments. His challenger, rental lawyer Ysabel Jurado, recently had his turn recorded by an assistant of de León saying, “F-the police.”

“The other woman insulted the police,” Ayala said. “And he has done so much for the community.”

But Alex Zayas, a 27-year-old nursing assistant who lives in a rental apartment, doesn’t see it that way. While De León helped clean up streets where people were living in RVs, Zayas said problems remain. He pointed to a nearby street corner, about two blocks from De León’s office, where he said people were openly using drugs.

“It’s like we’re back to square one.”