UPDATE: Already 50% of WeHo’s Voters Have Cast Their Ballots and Sheriff’s Deputies Are Prepping for Possible Protests

UPDATE: Political Data Inc. this morning reports that as of the end of the day Friday, 50% of West Hollywood voters (14,544) had cast their ballots in the Nov. 3 election. Of those registered as Democrats, 58% (10,565) have voted. Thirty-three percent (883) of the city’s registered Republicans and 38% (3,096) of those registered as Independents or members of other small parties have voted.

In what many see as the most controversial election in modern American history, more of West Hollywood’s registered voters already have cast their ballots than voted at all in the 2008 and 2012 elections.

According to data from Political Data Inc., with four days remaining before the Nov. 3 election day, 12,641 ballots have been cast, representing 43% of West Hollywood’s 29,383 registered voters. In the 2016 election, which pitted Hillary Clinton against Donald Trump, 54.2% of the city’s registered voters (15,921) had cast their ballots by the end of the Nov. 8 election day.

The number of ballots cast thus far greatly exceeds the total cast in the 2019 City Council election, when 6,262 West Hollywood residents, 21.3% of the city’s then-registered voters, cast their ballots.

This year the state mandated that ballots be mailed to all registered voters because of concerns about public gatherings at polling places during the COVID-19 pandemic.  That likely explains why more ballots have been submitted early. 

Given the hostility shown by people on all sides in this Presidential election, local law enforcement agencies are preparing to step up public safety efforts before Tuesday, Nov. 3, and the days that follow. The Beverly Hills City Council recently agreed to allocate $4.8 million extra police and other security services in anticipation of civil unrest following the election. Beverly Hills has been the site of weekly demonstrators by pro-Trump supporters as well as a number of Black Lives Matter protests.

West Hollywood has been the site of several pro-Trump protests, including one last Friday night by the Log Cabin Republicans.  And it has been the site of several Black Lives Matter protests.  Out of concern about possible violence, the Sheriff’s Station is going on what it calls a tactical schedule beginning Sunday.  Lt. William Moulder explained that there will be two shifts – one daytime and one nighttime — during which deputies will be on patrol as opposed to the traditional three shifts. 

“This will increase the department’s 24-hour staffing,” he said in an email message explaining the process.  “The Sheriff’s Department also will have a large cadre of response teams on stand-by to respond to any issues.”

Moulder already has explained that the Sheriff’s Station will take various steps to ensure that large crowds don’t gather on Saturday on Santa Monica Boulevard for the city’s annual Halloween Carnaval, which has been cancelled this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Political Data information shows that 63% of West Hollywood residents are registered as Democrats, 9.1% as Republicans, and 28% as Independents or members of other small parties.

Ballot Drop-Off Locations

In addition to returning their ballots by mail, West Hollywood residents can drop them off at secure boxes in three locations:

• West Hollywood City Hall, located at 8300 Santa Monica Blvd. (Ballot drop box located behind City Hall, off of North Sweetzer Avenue)
• West Hollywood Library, located at 625 N. San Vicente Blvd.  (Ballot drop box located on the west side of the street, in front of the library)
• Plummer Park, located at 7377 Santa Monica Blvd. (Ballot drop box located in front of the Plummer Park Community Center)

Voting In-Person at a Vote Center

Traditional neighborhood “polling places” have been replaced in Los Angeles County by vote centers, which allow LA County residents (which includes West Hollywood residents) to vote at any vote center location over an 11-day period. Select vote centers will be available Oct. 24. All vote centers will be available beginning Oct. 30.

There are three vote centers in the City of West Hollywood:

• Plummer Park’s Fiesta Hall, located at 7377 Santa Monica Blvd.;
• Kimpton La Peer Hotel’s Lobby Rooftop, located at 627 N. La Peer Drive; and
• Iranian American Jewish Federation’s Sapper Hall, 1317 N. Crescent Heights Blvd.

Vote centers will be open from today through Tuesday. Vote centers are open every day from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the pre-Election Day voting period. On Election Day, Nov. 3, vote centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Additional vote center locations can be found online.