Vote By Mail
Have you voted yet? Oh, I know. The election isn’t until Tuesday. But many people have already voted with the absentee or permanent-vote-by-mail option. In fact, I voted that way this year. It’s definitely very handy for a variety of reasons including:
- elderly seniors who have a hard time getting around
- in case of unexpected illness (yes, sadly, the tummy bug IS going around right now)
- real estate crises for clients
- traveling needs
- easier to schedule
- school conflicts
- voting concerns
Vote-by-mail questions
Yesterday I was getting ready to mail our ballots, as I knew “ballots may be returned by mail, in person or via the 24-hour, drive-up, drop-off ballot box located at the Placer County Office of Election.” I had heard they needed to be postmarked by the date of the election but then noticed some of my neighbors on NextDoor.com were confused about that. Some people said one election site agreed with the postmark on election day and 3 days to get there.. Others said, “No – the site says it must be there the day of!” I looked it up and found a page on the Placer County Elections that seems to indicate they MUST be there the day of the election. I found a page on the State of California elections that specifies it must be postmarked the day of the election but has 3 days to get there. Hmmmmm. I then called the Placer County elections and two different people told me that the ballot being postmarked on election day with 3 days after the election to arrive is ok. On top of that, I also heard from another source that the post office may run slow due to so much mail.
Vote-by-mail options & alternatives
After thinking about it, I decided the safest way to ensure my votes got counted was to hand deliver them. But where? Back I went to the Placer County Elections page where I discovered there are several great options in Placer County – including two in Roseville:
- Martha Riley Library at Mahany Park on Woodcreek and Pleasant Grove
- Roseville City Clerk at 311 Vernon Street
Ballot Box at Martha Riley Library
Sure enough, I popped over to Martha Riley Library and discovered a very handy sign at the checkout counter pointing to a blue box right beside the counter. In went my votes and off I scooted, happy to have my civic duty done in a timely manner.
Vote-By-Mail at the Polls
Don’t forget you can also just take your ballot with you to your voting place on the day of the election. That’s actually pretty nice. I’ve done that myself. They’ll explain exactly how to do it. And when you are done, you even get an “I voted sticker.” (Hopefully!) Very cool! (I’ve heard Facebook may have an “I voted” button on election day AND NextDoor.com has one now – which those of us who voted early can enjoy doing as well. 😉 )
Voting Selfies
One other interesting tidbit for all voters – best to play it safe and don’t take a selfie of yourself voting on election day or before. According to ABCnews, “the practice was illegal in 18 states and legal in 19 states and the District of Columbia. In others, the rules are less clear.” And guess what, California is one that is unclear! 😉
Don’t forget to VOTE
Well, I am done voting for this election day. If you haven’t voted yet, be sure to do so – whether in person or via your vote-by-mail ballot. And be sure to get your vote counted. 🙂
