Alarmingly Low Voter Turnout for Primary – Please Vote!
In Q&A: What California’s low voter turnout so far means for primary (Link) we learn that “Political Data Intelligence has been tracking voter turnout for decades. Newly released numbers on Wednesday shows of the 21.8 million ballots mailed out to voters, just over 2 million people have returned their ballots so far, which equals out to about a 9% turnout statewide. The numbers broken down by party affiliation equates to 53% of returned ballots belonging to Democrats, 26% coming from Republicans, and 21% from independent and other parties.”
“When turnout drops, it doesn’t drop evenly for all groups. You’ll have seniors and homeowners, people in more affluent areas, voting at a real high rate. And you’ll have minorities and younger people, college students, and independent voters voting at a very, very low rate. And as a result of that, like if we look today, only a quarter of our state’s registered voters are seniors, but they comprise 51% of the people who’ve returned a ballot. Latinos are 27% of registered voters, and they comprise only 15% of people who have returned a ballot.“
It’s not too late to vote and NBLC urges you to get your ballot turned in. It is important that all voters’ voices are heard and all groups are represented. To see how you can still vote either by dropping off your ballot at a drop-off box or going to a voting center, please read below.
NBLC has endorsed the following candidates:
Marin County
Mary Sacket – Supervisor – District 1
Eric Lucan – Supervisor – District 5
John Carroll – County Superintendent of Schools
Sonoma County
David Rabbitt (Inc.) – Supervisor – District 2
James Gore (Inc.) – Supervisor – District 4
Amie Carter – County Superintendent of Schools
Napa County
Suzanne Truchard – Supervisor – District 1
Anne Cottrell – Supervisor – District 3
In Advanced in-person voting underway for June 7 election (Link), we learn more about casting ballots before and on Election Day.
Registered voters in Sonoma County who have not already voted by mail in the June 7 statewide direct primary election, may begin voting in person on Saturday, May 28 at one of seven vote centers located throughout the county. Each vote center will be open for 11 days from May 28 to June 7, which is Election Day, including Saturdays, Sundays and Memorial Day. Hours of operation for the vote centers will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., except on Election Day itself, when the hours will be 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The seven vote centers opening on Saturday are as follows (listed in alphabetical order by town/city/place):
Cotati Veterans Memorial Building
8505 Park Ave., Cotati
Healdsburg Community Center
1557 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg
Petaluma Veterans Memorial Building
1094 Petaluma Blvd. S., Petaluma
Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building
1351 Maple Ave., Santa Rosa
Sonoma County Registrar of Voters
435 Fiscal Drive, Santa Rosa
Sebastopol Center for the Arts
282 S High St., Sebastopol
Sonoma Veterans Memorial Building
126 1st St. W., Sonoma
Twenty-four additional vote centers will open for four days leading up to Election Day starting on June 4.
Unlike most prior elections in Sonoma County, voters who want to cast their ballots in person can go to whichever vote center they choose; they are not assigned to a single location. This is due to the fact that this is the first countywide election in Sonoma County to be conducted under the Voter’s Choice Act election model. Named after the law on which it is based, the objective of this model is to give voters more flexibility regarding how, when and where to cast their ballots.
Vote centers also offer a variety of other services, including serving as drop-off locations for vote-by-mail ballots, issuing replacement vote-by-mail ballots (for example, if a voter’s first ballot never arrived or was lost/spoiled, etc.), providing accessible ballot-marking devices to those who need or prefer using them, and language assistance. Registered voters may also update their voter information and citizens who are eligible to vote but missed the standard voter registration deadline can register and vote “late.”
Voters preferring to vote via vote-by-mail ballot that was mailed to them can return it in one of three ways:
1) By mail. In order to count, it must be postmarked on or before Election Day, June 7 and received in the Registrar of Voters Office by June 14.
2) Drop it off at one of 21 official ballot drop boxes throughout Sonoma County, which are open 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week until 8 p.m. on Election Day.
3) Bring it to any vote center during its hours of operation.
For a list, map and other details of all vote centers and official ballot drop boxes, please visit sonomacounty.ca.gov/where-to-vote.
For more information about the June 7, statewide direct primary election (or any other election-related topics), please visit the Sonoma County Registrar of Voters website at socovotes.com, call (707) 565-6800, email rov-info@sonoma-county.org, or visit the Registrar of Voters Office in person at 435 Fiscal Drive, Santa Rosa. The office is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays (excluding holidays). In addition, due to the June election, the office will also be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays (May 28 and June 4), Sundays (May 29 and June 5), and Memorial Day (May 30), as well as 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day itself.
Similar to Sonoma County, Marin County has early voting centers open through Election Day and drop boxes throughout the county. Go to this link to find those locations:
https://www.marincounty.org/depts/rv/election-info/june-7-2022?tabnum=10
And here is the same information for Napa County: https://www.countyofnapa.org/396/Elections
Remember – your voice matters and voting is your superpower!
