COVID-19 & Upcoming Elections: Are We Voting By Mail in Nov.?

Thanks to SF Chronicle for informing us that San Francisco officials are scrambling to make voting in November’s election pandemic-proof.

Is a pandemic-proof election possible this coming November? Currently, we are facing a dilemma between our right to vote versus protecting our health and everyone around us. With the Corona Virus altering almost every aspect of our lives, the upcoming election is expected to be as far different from the standard.

David Campos, chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party, proposes no open polling places, no standing in line to vote, no hand-offs of ballots from a poll worker to you and back to another poll worker once you’re done deliberating. Instead, every vote would be cast via mail.

According to SF Chronicle, California voters already have shown how much they prefer voting by mail. More than 65% of the voters cast ballots by mail during the 2018 general election. Campos wants San Francisco to opt into the Voter Choice Act, passed in 2016 to modernize state elections. 

Elections Chief John Arntz, said it’s “possible” San Francisco will adopt the Voter Choice Act, but he’s not sure residents really want to give up their neighborhood polling places for good. Adoption would require a vote of the Board of Supervisors, he said.

As of writing this article, there is no absolute status on Campos’s recommendation and is currently waiting for approval from  Mayor London Breed, the Board of Supervisors and Elections Chief John Arntz.

Learn more about the Voter’s Choice Act, It has pros and cons, but with the current pandemic, this could be the only way we can exercise our right to vote.