Newly minted U.S. citizens wave flags at one of a trio of naturalization ceremonies held for 2,707 people in Montebello on Thursday. Though the deadline for voter registration in California was Monday, new citizens being naturalized this week have until next Monday to turn in their forms, according to the L.A. County registrar’s office. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Imastun Manuykan, 60, was among those at the Montebello citizenship ceremonies, which included 1,044 people originally from Mexico, 213 from the Philippines, 120 from China and 91 from Iran. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Naturalized citizens recite the pledge of allegiance. Hundreds of thousands of new citizens are registering to vote in California and around the nation in time to cast ballots Nov. 4. In Los Angeles County, about 60,000 new citizens have registered to vote since January, according to the county registrar. In all of last year, about 34,000 new citizens registered. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
New citizens are being sought out in voter-mobilization efforts. Advocates say new voters may swing the outcome of the election, especially in battleground states like Colorado and Florida. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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New U.S citizens take an oath at Thursday’s ceremony. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Scarlet Berlin, 35, fills out a voter registration form before the naturalization ceremony. “A lot of people in the community are ready to participate in the civic life of our country, but often they don’t know how the process works,” said Ben Monterroso, executive director of the Mi Familia Vota organization. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)