More mail-in ballots, 68% fewer polling places: How SLO County is overhauling voting
San Luis Obispo County voters in November will encounter almost 70% fewer in-person polling places and will be encouraged to cast their ballots by mail — significant changes brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.
County Clerk Recorder Tommy Gong recently delivered a report to the county Board of Supervisors laying out a draft plan for the upcoming election that involves decreasing the number of in-person voting locations and ramping up efforts to get residents to vote with a mail-in ballot.
In accordance with executive orders Gov. Gavin Newsom issued after the COVID-19 outbreak, vote-by-mail ballots will be sent to all registered voters in the county.
Election officials usually send out 140,000 mail-in ballots, Gong said. To reach all 175,000 registered voters in the county, staff will need to send out an additional 35,000 ballots.
“By sending every voter a ballot in the mail, that does help front-load the election in that way,” Gong said during his Board of Supervisors presentation.
Gong is also shifting the county toward a “vote center” model, which gets rid of traditional neighborhood polling places by replacing them with regional in-person voting locations.
The vote center model began spreading throughout the state, after the passage of the 2016 California Voter’s Choice Act.
Gong opted not to shift San Luis Obispo County’s system during the March primary election, but the coronavirus pandemic is forcing his office make the change in a matter of months. Implementing the new model typically takes 18 months, according to the staff report.
Putting on the November election will cost an additional $1.4 million, all of which will be covered by grant funds, Gong said.
“I didn’t want to make such a significant change for voters during such a large election,” Gong wrote in an email. “But COVID-19 has been a game changer for the health and safety of voters, election workers, and staff.”
How will voting work in November?
In the past, residents who wanted to vote in person could cast their ballots at one of 74 assigned precinct polling places.
In November, officials will instead set up 23 voter service centers around the county where residents can cast ballots in person if they opt not to vote by mail.
Voters can also drop off their vote-by-mail ballots at one of 17 designated locations throughout the county.
The in-person voting locations will be open for four days, from Saturday, Oct. 31, through Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Gong estimates the voter service centers will have a capacity of 21,000 voters on Election Day.
That capacity should cover the 19,000 residents Gong thinks could show up to cast ballots in person if there’s a 7% increase in registered voters and 85% of them turn out to vote.
About 20% of county voters cast ballots in person in March, Gong said. But, in counties that have already transitioned to the vote center system, 5 to 10% of voters cast ballots in person during the first election, he said.
Voting during the COVID-19 pandemic
Holding an election during a pandemic will present additional challenges.
About 46% of local pollworkers have indicated they won’t help staff election centers this year due to concerns about coronavirus transmission, Gong said.
“That was really kind of shocking to us,” he said during his Board of Supervisors presentation. “But it certainly is understandable with all the unknowns with the coronavirus.”
Fewer in-person voting locations means fewer pollworkers will be needed, Gong said.
“Instead of 900 to 1,000 workers, it is estimated that we will need around 400,” he wrote in an email. “Nevertheless, we are reaching out to local nonprofits, clubs, and associations to consider working. And we are also receiving support from the Secretary of State with their pollworker recruitment campaigns.”
Voters who opt to cast ballots in person will be provided with masks and spaced out in larger venues to preserve social distancing, Gong said.
“We’re ready,” he said during his Board of Supervisors presentation. “We’re ready to take this jump for the November election.”
