Ballots Return Pattern Indicates a Slow Start With Approaching Deadline
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) - There are thousands of ballots out in Santa Barbara County that still need to be voted and returned according to recent statistics from the Santa Barbara County Elections Office.
The latest count shows around 48,000 ballots have been returned, that translates to about 19% of the total voter registration for the county.
In the last Gubernatorial Primary held in 2022 total final turnout was 39.85%.
The vote-by-mail ballots are said to be the easiest as there are several ways to return a completed ballot.
Voters first have to made sure it is sealed and then signed with the signature they used when they registered.
Voters have to make sure it is postmarked on or before June 2nd and one way is to bring it to the counter at the U.S. Post Office near you. (There are mailboxes that are not doing same day postmarks.). Elections officials say if you do mail your ballot, it is recommended that you obtain a manual postmark from a postal employee inside your local United States Post Office and that you mail the ballot in advance of Election Day.
The method that has gained in popularity has been the white ballot drop off boxes. There are 18 of them in Santa Barbara County and the elections staff picks up the ballots regularly. Afterwards the boxes are locked and a special seal is placed on the door. Those boxes will be closed and locked up for good at 8 p.m. Tuesday June 2nd when the polls officially close.
The voter can also hand deliver a ballot to the elections office counter in-person.
They can also bring it in to a polling place anywhere in the county on election day starting at 7 a.m. when the polls open.
All of the locations, phone contacts, websites and candidate information has been sent out to registered voters. It can also be found at SBCVote.com or through the Santa Barbara County Clerk-Recorder, Assessor office which includes the Registrar of Voters.
Results will be available after 8 p.m. on June 2.
Ballots received or postmarked by the deadline will be counted. Those that are not postmarked by the deadline will not be counted and the elections office keeps data on how many come in after the deadline.
Voters can also track their ballots to make sure they have arrived in the elections office for processing.
California Secretary of State Shirley Weber says 5.4 millon California residents have signed up to track their ballots.
This “Where’s My Ballot?” process gives voters automatic updates when their ballot is mailed, received, and counted.
Voters who sign up for “Where’s My Ballot?” receive automatic updates when their county elections office:
1. Mails the voter’s ballot.
2. Receives the voter’s ballot.
3. Counts the voter’s ballot.
4. Has any issues with the voter’s ballot.
The state has prepared a video to help voters - “Where’s My Ballot?"
Voters who are unsure of their voter registration status can quickly check it online at: voterstatus.sos.ca.gov and they can find information about “Same Day” or “conditional” voter registration here.
(More details, video and photos will be added here later today.)
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