Changes to how voters will vote in 2020: South Lake Tahoe vote center and drop box locations

With the March primaries just weeks away, voters will be considering not only their choices on the ballot but will also need to consider how they will cast their votes in South Lake Tahoe and El Dorado County.

With poor voter turnout, especially in South Lake Tahoe, and more registered voters choosing to vote by mail, the polling places set up on election days were not frequently used.

Starting in 2020, all registered voters in El Dorado County will receive their ballot in the mail weeks before the election. There are now three choices for how to vote: Vote by mail, visit an 11-day, 4-day or pop-up Vote Center, or place ballots in a special dropbox.

If not in South Lake Tahoe or Meyers, visit here (https://edcgov.us/Government/Elections/Pages/March-2020-Presidential-Primary.aspx) to find your closest facility.

Vote Centers

Instead of just one day to vote, you can vote in person during an 11-day period — including weekends — ending on Election Day. There are 11-day and 4-day centers in the County and South Lake Tahoe.

There is one 11-day center per 55,000 residents and South Lake Tahoe has one which will be located at Lake Tahoe Community College, 1 College Driver and it will be open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. all days except Election Day when it is open 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. It will be open from February 22 to March 3, 2020.

There is one 4-day center in the area. It will be located at Lake Tahoe Airport, 1901 Airport Rd, South Lake Tahoe and open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from February 29 to March 2, 2020, and 7:00 a.m - 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.

There is also a pop-up center open at the Lake Tahoe Family Resource Center, 3501 Spruce Avenue, South Lake Tahoe on February 27, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and on February 28 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

A local registered voter can vote at any Vote Center in El Dorado County. To find the closest, visit https://edcgov.us/Government/Elections/Pages/Locator-Tool-March-3-2020-Primary.aspx.

Drop Boxes

In South Lake Tahoe there are three drop boxes set up for ballots from February 4 to March 3.

Grocery Outlet - 2358 Lake Tahoe Blvd 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.
Holiday Market - 2977 US Highway 50 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.
South Lake Tahoe Library - 1000 Rufus Allen Blvd - 24 Hours except on Election Day when it closes at 8:00 p.m.

The County Election Office will be open for drop-off ballots. They are located at 3368 Lake Tahoe Blvd #108, South Lake Tahoe.

The last day to request a mail-in ballot is February 25, 2020.

Not registered yet? In California, the final date to do so is February 18, or 15 days prior to the election https://registertovote.ca.gov/RegisterToVote. If one misses that deadline they can still register though.

Same-Day Voter Registration, known as Conditional Voter Registration in state law, is a safety net for Californians who miss the deadline to register to vote or update their voter registration information for an election. The Vote Centers will be able to handle registration (only at this location). The conditional ballots will be processed and counted once the county elections office has completed the voter registration verification process.

It is also important to check the status of your voter registration. The California DMV made some errors for those checking off a box on driver licenses and many became "no preference given," thus giving up someone's ability to vote for a candidate. To check out the status and other information on one's voter registration, visit https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/. Changes can still be made.