Today is deadline for California voters to request mail-in ballots

Tuesday is the last day for California voters can request vote-by-mail ballots for next week's local, state and presidential elections.

Specific instructions for obtaining a ballot vary from county to county.

State officials had mailed out more than 8.8 million vote-by-mail ballots as of Friday, said Cathy Darling Allen, president of the California Assn. of Clerks and Election Officials. Of those, roughly 2 million have been returned.

All vote-by-mail ballots must by returned by the time the polls close at 8 p.m. on election day in order to be counted. They can be submitted at polling locations on election day.

Overall, voter registration in California is nearing 18 million, Darling Allen said.

Los Angeles County voters can request a mail-in ballot or check the status of their mail-in ballot online. Mail-in ballot information for all California counties has been posted by the California Voter Foundation.

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— Wesley Lowery

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Photo: State officials had mailed out more than 8.8 million vote-by-mail ballots as of Friday. Credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times