Counting votes: “We’d rather get it right than get it fast”
BY DYLAN SVOBODA OCTOBER 30, 2020 Lea este artículo en español. It’s the weekend before Election Day. Elections officials across California are already processing the 9 million-plus ballots returned thus far. But don’t expect the full picture to emerge until well after November 3. Counting all vote-by-mail, provisional and same-day voter registration ballots, in addition to those…
Read MorePandemic slows legal voting from California jails
BY MICHAEL LOZANO AND ISABELLA FERTEL OCTOBER 30, 2020 Jose Armendariz, 30, has never been able to vote. Sentenced to 90 years to life in prison at 16, Armendariz is barred from casting a ballot by California’s felony disenfranchisement laws. But after learning that many of those behind bars can cast ballots, he has become an inside organizer…
Read MoreVoters flood election offices with last-minute questions
BY FREDDY BREWSTER OCTOBER 30, 2020 “Can I still register to vote?” “What if I never received my ballot?” “When will we know the results?” Those are among the most common questions fielded by the Ventura County registrar’s office, where the phone has been ringing nonstop. Between 600 and 800 calls come in daily, said Registrar…
Read MoreFor Native Americans, voter outreach is by both wi-fi and radio
BY FREDDY BREWSTER OCTOBER 29, 2020 Although California is home to the largest Native American population in the United States, voting has always been problematic. This year, the pandemic — and the state’s decision to mail ballots to every California voter — has created new issues for tribal lands, whose residents often lack traditional mailing addresses.…
Read MoreHow a small county got the money to buy “I voted” stickers and other election supplies
BY ROBIN ESTRIN OCTOBER 29, 2020 Twenty-four electronic poll books to check voters in quickly: $45,000. One high-capacity letter opener to process an onslaught of mailed-in ballots faster than human hands: $34,000. Six stainless-steel ballot boxes with anti-tamper protection: $21,261. Seven kits of disinfectant and protective gear to shield poll workers and voters from Covid-19: $2,500.…
Read MoreLiving room campaigners adapt to a pandemic election
BY SOFIE KODNER OCTOBER 28, 2020 Betsy Guthrie used to lead campaign phone bank trainings in loud, crowded houses sprinkled with snacks and buzzing with energy. Not this year. Ms. Guthrie is alone in the guest bedroom of her home in Marin County, shouting into a computer while fiddling with screen share. “I don’t know…
Read MoreAre you there, voter? It’s me, Emily
BY STEVEN RASCÓN OCTOBER 28, 2020 Yes, that political campaign text message is from a real person. At least, that’s what it says. For months, Californians have been bombarded with text messages from multiple political campaigns pleading for money and votes. But many recipients question whether these texts are sent by bots or are even legal.…
Read MoreCitizen, interrupted
BY SOFIE KODNER OCTOBER 28, 2020 After more than a decade living in the United States, Santiago Pazos thought he’d be able to vote this year for the first time. He moved to Los Angeles from Spain in 2009, got a green card and eventually started his own business. He became eligible to apply for…
Read MoreWhen power is transferred—literally—in an election
OCTOBER 27, 2020 BY AARON LEATHLEY In a stark scene of what the electoral process in California can look like in 2020, masked voters last Monday cast early ballots in an El Dorado County elections office powered by a generator after dry winds and fear of wildfires triggered an electricity shutoff. This year, thanks to…
Read MorePens, PPE, Police: Preparing for In-Person Voting
BY AARON LEATHLEY AND ZACHARY FLETCHER OCTOBER 26, 2020 It was a succinct appraisal of the state of mind of county election officials grappling with the new normal of voting in the year of a pandemic, disinformation and threats of voter intimidation. Across California, officials have been training workers at polling places and vote centers in new protocols,…
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