As part of the city of West Hollywood’s efforts to increase voter participation, the city is encouraging community members to participate in the upcoming county-wide mock election, in which voters of all ages are encouraged to be the first to see and interact with Los Angeles County’s new voting system, Voting Solutions for All People.

West Hollywood’s Mock Election event will take place on Saturday, Sept. 28, and Sunday, Sept. 29, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Plummer Park’s Fiesta Hall.

Beginning with 2020 elections, traditional “polling places” will be replaced by 1,000 “polling centers” which allow Los Angeles County residents to vote at any one of the polling center locations over an 11-day period.

The county will also be rolling out the custom designed Voting Solutions for All People voting system, which combines the benefits of technology for an easy and accessible voting experience with a paper ballot.  In this mock election experience, participants will be voting on non-political issues like their favorite song, park, or animal – a completely non-partisan election.

The new system will feature a ballot marking device which makes it easier for voters to customize the voting experience to fit their needs. Voters can access 13 languages, adjust the touch screen to a comfortable angle, change the display settings such as text size and contrast, or go through the ballot using the audio headset and control pad. A paper ballot is required to use the ballot marking device. Security remains a top priority for L.A. County, so this device is not connected to a network or the internet.

Previously, voters with mobility or visual challenges were asked to go to a separate voting booth, but the Ballot Marking Device provides all the accessibility features previously available and upgrades them all into one device.

This new system will also include an optional tool that will help speed up the voting process.  The interactive sample ballot is a convenient option for voters who want to access and mark their selections prior to arriving at the vote center. Using a computer, mobile phone or personal digital device, voters’ can review their ballot information and make their selections. After going through the selection process the Interactive sample ballot creates a poll pass (QR code) – like an airline boarding pass. At the vote center, voters scan the poll pass to transfer their selections to the ballot marking device.

Plummer Park’s Fiesta Hall is located at 7377 Santa Monica Blvd. For information, visit weho.org/elections or lavote.net/mock-election.