Planning to vote in person for the 2020 election in California? Here’s what to expect
Every California voter has the opportunity this year to return their ballot for the Nov. 3. election by mail.
But those who want to drop it off in person have options. Counties are still offering in-person voting locations, even as physical voting is likely to look a bit different this year.
Here’s what you should know if you plan to vote at a physical polling site:
You will still get a mail ballot
If you register by Oct. 19, you will receive a mail-in ballot. Election officials therefore need to make sure voters don’t cast two ballots, which is illegal.
Upon checking in to a physical voting site, counties with electronic records, like Sacramento County, will be able to immediately see whether a voter has cast his or her mail ballot. If the mail ballot hasn’t been cast, the voter will receive a regular ballot, and their mail ballot will be automatically canceled via an intelligent barcode.
If the county doesn’t have electronic records, the poll workers will have no way of knowing if that voter has already cast their mail ballot unless they bring it with them.
Voters in those counties who don’t bring their mail ballot will be given a provisional ballot. After the county elections office can verify that the mail ballot hasn’t been cast, they will count the provisional ballot.
To be safe, bring your vote-by-mail ballot with you to surrender at the polls if you choose to vote in person.
Your typical polling place may have changed
The state has given counties a lot of leeway in choosing how they want to conduct in-person voting this year. Some, like Yolo County, are consolidating polling locations. Others are keeping their normal schedule of assigned polling spots or allowing voters to choose any vote center.
There may be little to no change for voters in counties that already operate under the Voters Choice Act, which allows voters to cast a ballot at any location of choice. These counties include Madera, Napa, Nevada, Sacramento, San Mateo Amador, Butte, Calaveras, El Dorado, Fresno, Los Angeles, Mariposa, Orange, Santa Clara and Tuolumne.
For example, in Sacramento County, voters can show up to any of the county’s more than 80 vote centers to cast a ballot. Even though you can go anywhere, it’s good to double-check polling locations and hours on your county elections website. Many counties, for example, often use nursing homes as voting sites, but this year, have had to find new locations because of the pandemic.
Voters should check with their county to see what the specifics are for voting in person. Jonathan Mehta Stein, executive director of California Common Cause, said things will vary widely between counties, so it’s important for voters to do their research and make a plan for voting.
“There’s more homework than normal this year,” he said.
Don’t wait until the last minute, or even the last day
Although the state is sending mail ballots to every voter, Stein said people still have a lot of unease around voting by mail, and elections officers are expecting high turnout at the polls. Each county began offering early, in-person voting at their elections offices on Oct. 5, and at more locations by Oct. 31 at the latest. Every voting location will also continue to have same-day voter registration in case you missed the Oct. 19 online deadline.
Elections officials are asking people to vote early when they can. Long lines and crowds are frustrating during a normal year, much more so during a pandemic. If you do procrastinate, be prepared to wait, but remember, as long as you’re in line to vote before 8 p.m., you’re entitled to cast a ballot. Depending on the length of the line, it could be a few hours. Some polling locations in the March primaries didn’t see the last ballot cast until midnight.
You’ll have to wear a mask and social distance
All voters will be asked to wear masks when voting. The California Secretary of State’s office is encouraging counties to frequently disinfect voting equipment, direct foot traffic, and separate entrances and exits, among myriad other measures to limit the spread of cororonavirus.
The Centers for Disease Control say masks are an effective way of preventing the spread of the virus, which has killed more than 200,000 Americans this year. Counties are required to provide masks to voters who arrive without them.
However, the Secretary of State’s office has warned that there may be some voters who purposely arrive without a mask looking to cause a scene. In these cases, poll workers are advised that a person’s right to vote takes precedence over the mask rule. Workers are instructed to de-escalate any tense situations, and consider directing the maskless voter to a ballot box that allows more social distancing.
When in doubt, just call
Every county elections office has a website with information on voting locations, hours, and other commonly asked questions. If that doesn’t help, Orth is encouraging voters to just pick up the phone.
“What the voter needs to do is go to their county election official website, every county has one, and there’s a bunch of information on there,” she said. “And also call. They’re really nice, and just ask your question. “
“They’re happy to tell you exactly how it works,” she said.
This story was originally published October 7, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Planning to vote in person for the 2020 election in California? Here’s what to expect."