Volunteers to assist hospitalized patients vote on Election Day

Volunteers from Cottage Health will be lending a hand to patients who are in the hospital, but wish to have their voices heard on Election Day.

Absentee ballots will be available to all eligible patients and staff at Cottage Hospitals throughout the area that are unable to travel to their polling locations.

Patients were given the opportunity to submit signed affidavits to request special absentee ballots for registered voters. Nurses will collect the affidavits by 9:30 am on Election Day, Tuesday Nov. 8.

Director of Volunteer Services for Cottage Health Patricia Dooley will lead a team of eight volunteers who will pick up the affidavits and deliver them to the Santa Barbara County Elections Office in Santa Barbara and Lompoc.

Once the affidavits are verified, the ballots will be delivered by volunteers to the hospitals for patients and staff to complete.

Volunteers will begin collecting ballots and returning them to the County Elections offices.at 2:30 p.m.

Cottage Health hospitals have offered this service to patients and staff for elections over the past 24 years.

Participating hospitals include Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital, Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital and Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital.