Monday, May 11, 2026

Registrar Urges Displaced Fire Survivors to Update Their Voter Registration With a Temporary Mailing Address by May 18

County registrar urges Eaton Fire voters still in temporary housing to update their registration by May 18 or risk missing the June primary

Vote-by-mail ballots for the June 2 California primary began arriving in Pasadena and Altadena mailboxes last week after the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s office started mailing them on April 30, according to an announcement from the office of Registrar Dean C. Logan. Every registered voter in the county receives one. But the county does not forward ballots. They go to the address on file — and for displaced residents whose registered address is a lot scraped to bare soil, the ballot could have nowhere to land.

The Registrar’s office is urging fire survivors to update their voter registration with a temporary mailing address by May 18, the last day to register and receive a ballot by mail. Voters who miss the deadline can still cast ballots in person at Vote Centers, which open May 23, or use same-day registration through Election Day.

“We don’t forward ballots because they are specific to where you’re registered to vote,” Logan said.

The Eaton Fire ignited on January 7, 2025, in Eaton Canyon and burned more than 14,000 acres through Altadena and into parts of Pasadena, destroying more than 9,400 structures and killing at least 19 people. It was the second most destructive wildfire in California history, according to Cal Fire. Sixteen months later, the displaced population remains substantial. A Department of Angels survey of more than 2,400 fire survivors, cited in a February 2026 report by the Palisades News, found that 65 percent of Altadena residents were still in temporary housing. The nonprofit’s most recent quarterly survey, released last week, found that nearly 40 percent of fire survivors across the Eaton and Palisades fire zones had either exhausted their temporary housing insurance payments or expected to soon, according to the Los Angeles Times.

That displacement now carries a civic cost. The June ballot is among the most consequential in years. California’s open governor’s race — Governor Gavin Newsom is term-limited — headlines a primary that also includes the Los Angeles mayoral contest, in which incumbent Karen Bass faces roughly 40 challengers. Pasadena voters will choose among candidates for three City Council seats in Districts 3, 5 and 7. Countywide, every voter will see Measure ER, a proposed half-cent sales tax increase for healthcare services. Altadena voters will see the same statewide and countywide races, though not the Pasadena municipal contests.

“People are far away. They don’t know the issues,” said Diana Lee, an Altadena resident displaced by the fire.

The county’s guidance is straightforward. Residents staying somewhere temporarily — with family, in a rental, in transitional housing — should keep their home address on file and add a separate temporary mailing address. That preserves their original voting districts, allowing them to continue voting on contests tied to their home community. Voters who have permanently relocated should update their residential address, which may change their districts and ballot.

Either change can be made online at RegisterToVote.ca.gov, where voters enter their home address and check the box indicating their mailing address is different, or by calling (800) 815-2666 and selecting option 2. Voters unsure whether their displacement is temporary or permanent should keep their home address and add a temporary mailing address, according to the Registrar’s office.

Voters who submitted a U.S. Postal Service change of address may receive a notice from the Registrar asking them to confirm their information. No changes are made until the voter responds, according to the lavote.gov recovery page.

The Registrar’s office has been conducting outreach. On March 12, the office announced it was mailing postcards to approximately 4.8 million registered voters countywide, translated into 18 languages, with key election dates and voting options. An additional language-access mailer went to about 1 million new registrants, according to a press release from the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s office.

“These outreach mailings ensure voters receive early information about their voting options and have the opportunity to request election materials in the language that best supports their participation,” Logan said in the March announcement, according to the press release.

The California Secretary of State’s office has also published a displaced-voters fact sheet specific to the June 2 primary, available at vote.ca.gov. The fact sheet emphasizes that ballots cannot be forwarded and that voters who have not updated their mailing address will see their ballots returned to the county elections office. The state voter hotline is (800) 345-VOTE (8683).

Vote Centers across Los Angeles County open May 23 and remain open through Election Day on June 2, when all locations operate from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Every Vote Center offers same-day conditional voter registration. Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked no later than June 2 to be counted. Voters can find locations and create a personalized voting plan at plan.lavote.gov or by texting PLAN to LAVOTE (528683). Official ballot drop boxes are open now.

The Registrar’s wildfire recovery page at lavote.gov/recovery, available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese, also provides information on no-cost vital and property records for fire-impacted residents. Los Angeles County residents directly affected by the fires can request birth, death, marriage and property records at no charge by calling (800) 201-8999.

The Eaton Fire reshaped Altadena. Whether it reshapes the electorate may depend on what displaced residents do in the next seven days.