Have your voice heard – be sure to vote!
Most of us have heard by now that November’s election will be 100% vote by mail, and although it is correct that all active voters will be sent a vote by mail ballot, Placer County voters will also have the opportunity to vote in person if they prefer. If you are unsure about your registration status or you know you need to register to vote, please visit https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/.  Vote by mail ballots will be mailed the week of October 5 and should arrive to you by October 15.  If you are registered to vote you will receive this ballot automatically – you do not need to fill out an application or request a ballot.

There are several options for getting your ballot to the Elections Division by the close of voting on November 3.  You can return your ballot by mail, drop it in a designated ballot drop box or you can vote in person at multiple locations throughout the county.

Beginning October 5 through Election Day voters can visit either the Placer County Elections Office in Auburn or the Placer County Elections Warehouse in Rocklin to vote in person, Monday through Friday from 8AM to 5PM and the last two Saturdays and Sundays before Election Day: October 24 and 25 and October 31 and November 1.

In addition to these two locations there will also be 28 voter service centers opened throughout Placer County for four days leading up to Election Day, from Saturday, October 31 through Election Day on November 3. Voter service centers in District 5 will be located in Auburn, Colfax, Foresthill, Alta, Tahoe City and Kings Beach. Please visit https://www.placerelections.com/vote-service-center-locator/ to find exact locations and hours. The information will also be included in your county voter information guide or with the ballot mailed to you. If you prefer to vote in person consider doing so prior to November 3 in order to avoid potentially long lines and wait times on Election Day.

Voters who are concerned about potential postal service delays are encouraged to drop their completed vote by mail ballot in one of the 27 drop boxes around the county beginning October 6. Ballots deposited in a drop box get to the elections office faster than using the mail, and because those ballots do not enter the mail stream, the county saves money on postage. The drop boxes are a secure and convenient voting option. Drop box locations can be found here: https://www.placerelections.com/drop-box-locations/.  Voters can also submit their completed vote by mail ballot at any of the 28 voter service centers beginning October 31.

I know there has been quite a bit of discussion regarding voting by mail, so I want to assure Placer County voters that voting by mail is safe, secure, and transparent. Before any vote by mail envelope can be opened and the ballots counted, state law requires the election’s office to perform a match of the signature on the outside of the vote by mail envelope against the signature that is on the voter’s registration card.  This is required for every envelope during every election. Any questionable signatures are compared by at least three staffers before they are verified by the Registrar of Voters. If the signatures do not match state law requires the election’s office to contact the voter by mail to find out why the signatures do not match. If the voter provides a telephone number or email address, the election’s office staff will call and email the voter as well. There are many safety nets in place to protect against vote fraud.  It is virtually impossible for someone to come across a random ballot and commit vote fraud. If you would like to see firsthand how the election’s office verifies voter signatures, stop by the Auburn office after October 5 to see how it is done. 

There has also been some discussion about the possibility of people voting twice by using their vote by mail ballot and voting in person, however there is a number assigned to the ballot for each registered voter, and once that voter’s ballot is counted the number is voided, so additional votes would not be counted.

Finally, voters can sign up with BallotTrax to receive confirmation when their ballot is counted at: https://california.ballottrax.net/voter/. Signing up takes about two minutes, and those who sign up are notified when their vote by mail ballot is sent out in the mail and again when their ballot is received by the election’s office.  When your ballot has been received BallotTrax will also let you know whether it was received as “good” and the envelope passed signature validation, or received as “challenged” and your ballot will not be counted without clarification. If you receive notification from BallotTrax that your ballot was received as challenged or you don’t receive any notification about your ballot please contact the Elections Office (530-886-5650) before polls close on Election Day to ensure your vote is counted.

Like so many other aspects of our lives, COVID-19 has changed how we go about voting. Placer County is taking steps necessary to ensure that in person voting is safe by adhering to state requirements regarding sanitization, physical distancing and face coverings, while also being respectful of the fact that certain voters may not be able to wear certain types of PPE.

If you have further questions, please contact the Election’s Office at election@placer.ca.gov or call us at 530-886-5650. 

District 5 Voter Service Centers

• Alta Community Center, 33950 Alta Bonnynook Road, Alta
• Placer County Elections Office, 2956 Richardson Drive, Auburn
• Gold Country Fairgrounds, 1273 High Street, Auburn
• Foresthill High School, 23319 Foresthill Road, Foresthill
• Sierra Vista Community Center, 55 School Street, Colfax
• North Tahoe Event Center, 8318 N. Lake Boulevard, Kings Beach
• The Old Fire House, 300 N. Lake Boulevard, Tahoe City

 

– Cindy Gustafson, District 5 Supervisor

 

Placer County hiring election aides ahead of Nov. 3 general election

In preparation of the Nov. 3 general election, the Placer County Elections Office is recruiting election aide temporary positions for county voting centers in North Lake Tahoe. Learn more

Contact information:

 175 Fulweiler Ave., Auburn, CA 95603 

Supervisor Cindy Gustafson: cindygustafson@placer.ca.gov

District Director Lindsay Romack: lromack@placer.ca.gov

District Aide Kelly McCaughna: kmccaughna@placer.ca.gov

Temporary Assistant District Aide Judy Friedman: jfriedman@placer.ca.gov