Early vote centers opened Saturday in several Bay Area counties — including Alameda, San Mateo and Santa Clara — giving voters an opportunity to cast their ballots in person for the Nov. 5 general election.
Yolanda Ayala of Oakland, who was concerned that her ballot hadn’t yet arrived at her home, took advantage of a vote center at Oakland Tech High School on Saturday, along with a friend, Corinne DeLiso.
DeLiso, on the other hand, said she plans to complete her ballot at home, giving her time to research local and statewide measures before dropping her ballot at a secure drop box. She said she prefers placing her signed and sealed envelope in a designated box rather than send it by the traditional U.S. mail.
Both women, in their 70s, may have chosen different voting options this year, but they agreed on one thing — voting is important.
“It’s only one vote but it’s important,” DeLiso said. “We shouldn’t complain if we haven’t participated. And if you do like how things are going, you should vote to show that.”
Dozens of early Vote Centers opened Saturday, thanks to the Voter’s Choice Act of 2016. The law encourages greater voting flexibility by expanding both vote-by-mail and early in-person voting, permitting voters to cast ballots at any voting site in their county and providing secure ballot drop-off locations in addition to vote centers.
“Don’t wait – make your voice heard,” the California Secretary of State said in the news release announcing the early vote centers had opened. They are also available in Marin, Napa, Sonoma and Santa Cruz counties.
Additional vote centers will open on Nov. 2. All election sites will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., except for Election Day, when the hours will be extended, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to the California Secretary of State website.
Thousands of Californians will have volunteered at vote centers over this election season. They’re tasked with setting up and closing poll stations, keeping ballots and voting equipment safe and helping voters understand their rights.
Maurice Martin is one of the many volunteers manning vote centers throughout the Bay Area. At the age of 67, Martin plans to be at Oakland Tech High School from the early morning through the evening until Election Day.
“I can’t sit on the bench. I have to suit up and get on the field,” Martin said outside the polling station Saturday. He’s volunteered at the polls for years because he believes the work is important.
A U.S. Army veteran, Martin has seen the country change substantially in his lifetime. He participated in the Civil Rights movement as a child, spent years in the military and witnessed crises like the AIDS epidemic shake communities. With turmoil omnipresent, getting and staying civically engaged is one way to fight back, he said.
“I love participating in our democracy,” Martin said. “I’m from the south and we take voting seriously. We fought hard for it.”