Santa Barbara County’s 35 in-person polling locations open for in-person voting today. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
They will also be open during the same hours on Sunday, between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Monday, and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.
All polling locations will have full-on COVID-19 safety protocols, said Joe Holland, Santa Barbara County registrar of voters, clerk, recorder and assessor. This includes mask requirements, poll workers behind plexiglass barriers and steps such as cleaning booths after each voter.
Floors are also being marked so voters stand six feet of social distance between each other.
In addition to the 35 polling locations, there will also be 30 dropboxes in which voters can drop their mail-in ballots.
Though those who have yet to vote can go to a polling place to cast their vote in person if they wish, Mr. Holland recommends that voters fill out their mail-in ballot at home and drop it off at the polling locations without actually going inside. Additionally, he suggested voters not use the U.S. Postal Service to send their ballots this late in the election season.
“This close to the election, drop it off at one of our 65 locations,” he advised.
He added that electioneering within 100 feet of a polling place is not allowed. This includes holding campaign signs, telling passersby to vote by a certain candidate, or wearing a T-shirt supporting a particular candidate.
According to Mr. Holland, slogans such as “Make America Great Again” and “Black Lives Matter” do not count as electioneering.
As of Friday, Santa Barbara County had received 117,000 ballots, more than half of the county’s 235,000 registered voters.
email: jgrega@newspress.com
