LOS ANGELES – Serina Cannon is taking notes on the new voting system that will make its debut during the March Presidential Primary.  

Cannon is one of only a handful of people who showed up to a public hearing on a Wednesday night in West Adams.

"Anything that impacts or is important to us, you should want to take time to find out the information," Cannon said.

RELATED l LA County Unveils New Easier, Faster Voting System

County Registrar Dean Logan and members of his team laid out their outreach plan of what to expect and how the voting centers will operate, but he says the challenge is making sure everyone is aware of the changes.

"There’s been a lot of concern about how do we adequately get the word out in such a large and diverse county," Logan said.

Cannon and others at the meeting had the chance to voice their concerns, mainly access for seniors and making sure they were close to a potential voting center.

"Being African American, many of our ancestors before me wasn’t able to vote and didn’t have a say so of anything," Cannon said.

Instead of voting at polling places on Election Day, LA County voters will have 11 days to cast their ballots and can choose from 1,000 voting centers.  That includes two full weekends, and they can also register to vote on the same day.

"It used to be you’d go in to register to vote and they’d say 'Oh, you’re too late for this election, come back for the next one,' so that’s a lost opportunity.  With this model, we can meet them where they’re at," Logan said.

After the meeting, Cannon got the chance to try the new voting machine for the first time.

"Many times, when I’m pushing a touchscreen, my finger just doesn’t register," Cannon said.

But she acknowledged her experience this time was pretty smooth and plans to share what she’s learned with family and friends. 

"It was good.  I do like the fact that it’s large print," Cannon said, referring to the button that increases font size.

Cannon showed up at the meeting to make sure there is a strong outreach, especially with seniors in the community, who she hopes aren’t discouraged from trying something new.

"And that they’re not being left out because they’re not maybe advanced in the technology component," Cannon said.

Logan says this vote center model is not an entirely new concept. Colorado uses it and there are other counties in California that started doing that after the California Voters Choice Act passed in 2018.

However, he says the actual equipment is unique to LA County, designed for and by the voters.  It is not a proprietary system, but rather publicly owned, making it easier to share programming code and specifications with other counties. He says the machines have peaked interest from other counties in the state and across the country looking to update their antiquated voting machines.

Like anything, Logan knows it will take time for the public to get used to the changes. While he says research shows time, place, and location aren’t the main factors that bring voters to the polls, he says a positive experience can make all the difference.

"If we have a good experience that first time somebody votes, the likelihood of them voting in future elections goes up exponentially," said Logan.

And he is ready to bring LA voters, like Cannon, into the 21st Century. 

"I did it!  We’ll see how it goes next election," said Cannon smiling.

The public hearings have wrapped up, but there will be demonstration centers where you can see what it’s like using the machines before they open for voting on February 22.