Election Day will look slightly different this year as all registered California voters will receive mail-in ballots ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.
In May, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order to mail ballots to all registered voters in the state in order to protect public health amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Elections and the right to vote are foundational to our democracy,” Gov. Newsom said. “No Californian should be forced to risk their health in order to exercise their right to vote.”
Voters in Santa Barbara County now will have four days to vote in person at their local polling place, or they can drop off their mail-in ballots to dropboxes dispersed throughout the county, beginning 29 days before the election.
According to county clerk Joseph Holland, 75 percent of Santa Barbara County was registered to receive ballots by mail before this election season. However, he stressed the importance of voting by mail given the dangers of public gatherings.
“The main message is to vote early," he said. "Avoid long lines. Vote safe, vote at home.”
Ballots will be mailed along with county voter information beginning Oct. 5.
Residents can then cast their votes by completely filling in the ovals corresponding to their selections for candidates and measures on the ballot. Felt-tip pens and red ink are not allowed for filling out a ballot.
Once a ballot is complete, the voter should remove the voting stub from the top of the ballot, fold it in the same way it was received and seal it inside the provided return envelope. For the ballot to be counted, it is essential that the voter signs and dates the outside of the envelope.
The Santa Barbara County Elections Office purchased 33 dropboxes that will be dispersed throughout the county, where voters can drop off completed ballots beginning 29 days before the election through 8 p.m. on Election Day. Personnel from the Elections Office will pick up the ballots in the dropboxes daily.
“Ideally, we want people to just drop off their ballots. We really don’t want people coming in to vote in person if they don’t need to,” Holland said.
Mail-in ballot return envelopes do not require postage, but they must be postmarked by Election Day and received no later than 17 days afterward in order to be counted.
U.S. Postal Service spokesman Meiko Patton said voters should have no concerns about delays as the agency faces potential defunding.
“The Postal Service’s financial condition is not going to impact our ability to process and deliver election and political mail,” Patton said. “We are committed to delivering election mail in a timely manner.”
The Postal Service recommends that domestic, nonmilitary voters mail their ballots seven days before Election Day to ensure that all votes get counted, Patton said, adding that for timely submission of absentee ballots, voters must use first-class mail or an expedited level of service to return their ballots and are urged to request their ballot at the earliest point allowable but no later than 15 days prior to Election Day.
The county typically has 86 polling locations, according to Holland. For the November election, there will be 25 to 30 in-person voting centers open from Oct. 31 through Nov. 3. The centers will be open for eight hours Saturday through Monday, and on Tuesday each center will hold traditional Election Day hours of 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
“We’re going out of our way to make it as easy as possible to cast your ballot,” Holland said. “I don’t want anybody to be disenfranchised. I want everyone to be able to cast a ballot.”
Click here to check voter registration status, or click here to update a registration address.
— Noozhawk staff writer Jade Martinez-Pogue can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
