The Latest: San Francisco has new early voting record

SAN FRANCISCO – The Latest on early voting in California (all times local):

3:45 p.m.

San Francisco’s elections director says the city had record turnout on the first weekend day that people could cast an early vote at a polling station in the upcoming election.

John Arntz says 700 people came to City Hall on Saturday to cast a ballot. That’s up from a little over 600 on the first Saturday that early voting was available during the November 2008 election.

Arntz says the elections department has tripled the capacity of its voting centre, so waiting times were at most a few minutes.

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12 p.m.

Los Angeles County election officials say some voters waited more than two hours to cast a ballot amid strong interest in early voting.

Mike Sanchez, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder, said Sunday that people waited more than two hours during peak times Saturday at weekend voting centres that opened in North Hollywood and Culver City.

Sanchez says more than 3,200 people cast their ballots Saturday at five such centres in Los Angeles County.

He says officials don’t expect long lines on Nov. 8 as voting is spread out throughout the county’s precincts.

In neighbouring Orange County, Registrar Neal Kelley says people were waiting outside early voting centres before they opened Saturday. He says there’s been a steady stream of voters Sunday morning but no long waits.