Vote-by-mail ballots for the gubernatorial recall election are arriving in mailboxes throughout the Central Coast, and local county clerk-recorders are reporting thousands have already been turned in.
It’s the second Governor recall election since 2003, and in less than three weeks, voters will decide if Governor Gavin Newsom gets to stay or will get replaced by one of the 46 people vying for his seat.
“We are already receiving massive amounts of ballots back in our office through our drop boxes, through in-person returns, and through the mail,”said San Luis Obispo County Deputy Director Helen Nolan.
Out of the 185,000 ballots sent, they’ve already received more than 20,000 back. Nolan said every registered voter should have received their ballot by now, and if they haven’t, they should be reaching out to the county elections office.
“Call our office," Nolan said. "We can track down what happened to that ballot, we can issue another one, we will do everything we can to make sure that every voter has a ballot in their hand.”
In Santa Barbara County, out of the 238,000 ballots mailed, around ten thousand have already been turned in.
Joe Holland, Santa Barbara County Clerk-Recorder, said don’t make some common mistakes that would delay getting your vote counted-like filling in your ballot in any color other than blue or black ink.
“Everybody needs to remember they need to sign the envelope," Holland said. "If you don’t sign the envelope, then we can’t count your ballot.”
If you want to wait until Election Day Tuesday, September 14, there will be around 50 in-person polling locations in each county.
Holand said bring your mail-in ballot with you to the in-person polling places, if you have it.
“If you can’t find your ballot," Holland said. "And it’s election day, go to one of the polling locations and you’ll be able to vote.”
Due to pandemic concerns, Nolan said they’ve seen a decline in people wanting to volunteer at polling locations on Election night, and they could use the help.
“We are still looking for poll workers in the north county area," Nolan said. "We are doing everything we can to help get the personal protective equipment out to our poll workers to keep them safe and our voters safe.”
Initial results for election night will be released at 8 p.m. once polling locations close.
