With the shift to new voting centers, thousands of historically familiar polling places will not be used this election. In the June 2016 primary, for example, Long Beach had 247 polling locations.

Between 2018 and 2022, Fresno County lost 81 percent of its polling places as it switched to a vote-center model. Madera County also experienced a decrease as it made the switch in 2018.

We asked two local journalists reporting from polling centers on Election Day: What are the vibes? From close to the US-Mexico border to suburban Indiana, voters are lined up and laden with emotion ...