Strong early voter turnout in El Dorado County

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - Of the 133,251 registered voters in El Dorado County, 30,886, or 23 percent, have already turned in their ballots. The elections department does not have data from the 2016 election at the same point in time. That election had 97,024 or 83.31 percent of the 116,459 registered that year, turn in ballots by election day.

As of October 15:

Ballots returned by mail - 14,966

Of those ballots, 28,996 have had signatures verified against reference signature and the balance of 1,890 are awaiting verification.

There are still some ballots in the review process due to signature issues.

Review: 12 - ​Second signature review. First reviewer questioned it and passed it for Supervisor review.
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No Signature: 52 - ​Envelope not Signed. Postcard requesting signature mailed to voter. Last day to receive signed postcard back to the Elections department is 11/20/2020 5pm.

Signature doesn't match: 59 - Envelope signed but signature does not match reference signature. Postcard requesting signature mailed to voter. Last day to receive signed postcard back to Elections is 11/20/2020 5pm.
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No Ballot: ​2 - ​Received envelope with no ballot inside. County elections personnel call the voter to get their ballot.

Ballots can be tracked as well. In California, visit https://california.ballottrax.net/voter/.

Locals in South Lake Tahoe area can cast ballots for El Dorado County three ways:

The County has increased those opportunities by offering curbside voting for those that don't want to get out of their vehicles, and for those who do not wear masks.

Vote Centers

Open October 31-November 3. For the first three days they will be open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and on election day from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

In the South Lake Tahoe area these centers are at the California Conservation Corps at 1949 Apache and in the Lisa Maloff Center at Lake Tahoe Community College. Masks are required. For a full list of voting centers, visit HERE.

During the last election the centers were open 11 days, but due to COVID-19 protocols and SB450, the Voters Choice Act, they are now open for four days. The 13 centers will be following all safety guidelines including cleaning surfaces, reduced number of voters allowed inside at any time, mask and social distancing practices followed.

There will be curbside options at the centers, said Webster. Two staff members will be outside each Voting Center location, one with a "vote by mail" bag to retrieve ballots handed to them and the other who will accommodate those wanting to vote in their vehicles. That staff member will get the voter's information, go inside to retrieve a ballot, then take back to the voter for completion.

Drop Boxes

Boxes will be open October 6 - November 3. Hours depend on the location but they will all be locked at 8:00 p.m. on November 3.

In the South Lake Tahoe area, boxes will be at the library, Holiday Market and Grocery Outlet. The library, located at 1000 Rufus Allen Blvd, is open 24-hours, Holiday Market at 2977 US Hwy 50 is open 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Grocery Outlet at 2358 Lake Tahoe Blvd is open 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., all daily.

For a full list of county drop boxes, visit HERE.

Mail

Ballots received in the mail can be filled out and mailed in. It is very important to place the signature where requested.

Webster said adding a stamp to the prepaid envelope will not get the ballot to them any quicker, as is the current advise being given online. In a county, first class mail is handled at the same speed as standard mail.

Due to COVID-19, all registered voters in the state are getting a ballot so Webster said there it the potential for the process to get bogged down. All ballots postmarked by November 3, or submitted at Voting Center or placed in the drop boxes by 8:00 p.m. on November 3 will be counted as long as received by the County by November 20 (17 days).

The Elections Department still has just 30 days from the November 3 to certify the election.

“One of the most common questions I receive is about the safety of the election process, particularly given the several options available to voters,” O’Neill said. “Our office has a strict protocol we follow to protect the rights and votes of each registered voter, including processes that check for multiple ballots being cast by a single voter and verifying signatures on file against the ballots cast.” There will COVID safety protocols in place which may cause delays. If you wish to vote in person, please consider voting early and be prepared for a wait. “I invite anyone with a concern or interested in the process to visit the Elections department and see this transparent process in action."

The registered voters in El Dorado County:
Republican: 55,026 (41%)
Democratic: 41,334 (31%)
No Party Preference: 27,724 (21%)
American Independent: 5,568
Libertarian: 2,161
Green: 632
Peace and Freedom: 360