General Election Resources Available to Essential Workers, UCLA Students at Ackerman Union
Ballot drop boxes will also be available for drive-up guests on Westwood Blvd. starting Oct. 5
Westwood, Calif. – Oct. 09, 2020 – To provide convenient and safe voting options for on-campus students and essential staff, UCLA will once again host a vote center for Los Angeles County voters in Ackerman Union. This time, registered Bruins can visit and cast their ballot in Ackerman Union Grand Ballroom, where the vote center has been moved to accommodate social distancing.
The Vote Center will be accessible starting Friday, Oct. 30, from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. and continues with those hours through Monday, Nov. 2. On Election Day, Nov. 3, the hours are extended to 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Any voter in line at 8 p.m. is guaranteed the opportunity to cast their ballot.
In addition to facilitating in-person voting, UCLA is also hosting one of the nine extra-large, 24-hour accessible drive-up ballot boxes, monitored by LA County officials. The ballot drop box – which is for LA County voters only – opened Oct. 5 and can be found at the Information Kiosk on Westwood Boulevard, near the Luskin Turnaround.
Out-of-state or out-of-county voters can mail their ballots on campus by visiting the mail slot on Avenue A, located on the exterior wall of the post office on A-level of Ackerman Union. The slot will be accessible Oct. 5-Nov. 2, during normal building hours. Though LA County does not, some other counties and states do require postage, so as a service to voters, books of stamps can be purchased at the Information Window on A-level, just around the corner form the mail-slot. Also, the USPS blue box located on Westwood Blvd in front of the Gounda building is available for out-of-state or out-of-county mail-in ballots.
“ASUCLA welcomes the opportunity to continue its tradition of supporting Bruins’ participation in civic engagement,” said ASUCLA Executive Director & CEO Pouria Abbassi. “While so many are facing difficulties during these uncommon times, it is vital to present our students, faculty and staff with accessibility to vote.”
Following a new law passed in October 2019, the Vote Center on campus will also offer same-day voter registration on site, as well as LA County mail-in ballot drop off.
In addition to Ackerman Union, voting in the UCLA community will also take place at Bradley Hall from Oct. 30-Nov. 3, and at the Hammer Museum for 11 days, Oct. 24-Nov.3.
In a move designed to eliminate designation-based polling places and make voting more accessible, LA County introduced new centers during the 2020 primary elections that could be accessed by any LA County voter. In March, the Bruin Reception Room in Ackerman Union served as the vote center, where more than 6,000 registered voters participated.
Prior to hosting the new vote centers, Ackerman Union previously served as a polling place for an April 2018 special election, Gubernational Primary in June 2018, the 2018 Midterm Election and a special election in June 2019.
The Vote Center returns to UCLA through the collaborative efforts of LA County Registrar’s Office, California Secretary of State’s Office, UCLA Government & Community Relations, Campus Life, Administrative Vice Chancellor’s Office, Chancellor’s Office, and Student Affairs, USAC External VP and BruinsVote.
LA residents can check their voter registration status, register to vote and get more information about voting resources available at UCLA by visiting www.bruinsvote.ucla.edu.
About ASUCLA:
Associated Students UCLA (ASUCLA) is a non-profit association founded in 1919, which delivers vitally important student services and activities throughout the campus of the University of California Los Angeles. ASUCLA boasts the largest college store in the United States, an extensive food service program, UCLA® brand licensing program through UCLA Trademarks & Licensing, and a network of other services and programs that includes student government and student media, which greatly enhances the quality of UCLA’s campus life. For more information about ASUCLA, please visit www.asucla.ucla.edu.
