Southland Officials Urged Angelenos to Register to Vote

NORWALK, CA — Los Angeles County election officials joined with their counterparts across the state Tuesday to encourage people to register to vote and take part in the upcoming presidential election.

One day after presidential hopefuls Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton squared off in their first debate of the campaign, the Los Angeles County Registrar Recorder/County Clerk's office hosted a National Voter Registration Day event at its headquarters in Norwalk, hoping to get residents onto the voter rolls.

Similar events were held by select cities and county registrars across California, with an Oct. 24 deadline looming for people to register before the November election.

"I think every issue is very important and if you don't vote you have no right to complain about anything that's going on," resident Yvonne Carrasco told ABC7.

She said she was torn between Trump and Clinton, but after last night's debate, she is planning to vote for the Democratic former secretary of state.

Resident David Ackley, however, told the station he is planning to vote for the Republican Trump.

"I think America is in trouble right now, i think it's heading in the wrong direction," Ackley said. "I'd like to see the economy revitalized."

Regardless of political preference, election officials said they just want people to get registered and ensure their voice is heard.

"The first step to casting a ballot is to register to vote," California Secretary of State Alex Padilla said. "Eligible Californians can visit RegisterToVote.ca.gov and register to vote in minutes. Whether you're at home on your desktop computer or on the go using your smartphone or tablet, online voter registration is quick and easy."

As of July 7, there were 18,084,999 people registered to vote in California. According to Padilla's office, there are still 6.7 million more California residents who are eligible to vote, but aren't registered.

— City News Service, photo via Shutterstock