Under the new Voter’s Choice Act, every registered voter in Santa Clara County receives a ballot in the mail.
This November, filling out that ballot might be the only way to participate in the 2020 general election.
As the coronavirus pandemic forces everyone to adjust to new realities, the Santa Clara Board of Supervisors approved board president Cindy Chavez’s plan to have the Registrar of Voters examine the details for a possible “vote-by-mail only” election this November.
“At this point, because of the coronavirus outbreak there are no certainties about being able to vote,” Chavez said in a statement.
Outside of preparing for a possible election day without polling places, Chavez has instructed the Registrar to expand outreach to county jails, nursing homes and senior living facilities to ensure voters understand their rights.
“The goal is to make absolutely certain that in sprawling and diverse Santa Clara County we are able to give every resident a way to vote in the 2020 presidential election on Tuesday November 3, 2020,” Chavez said.
The Board of Supervisors have not given the Registrar a deadline for determining when a decision on the possibility of voting by mail only must be made.
Under the Voter’s Choice Act, every registered voter in Santa Clara County receives a vote by mail ballot starting 29 days before an election day. Voters can also appear in-person at vote centers located throughout the county to vote and fill out a paper ballot or participate on a voting machine.
The Voter’s Choice Act (VCA) passed the California legislature in 2016 and two Bay Area counties — San Mateo County and Napa County — successfully implemented the act for the 2018 elections. No other Bay Area counties have signed onto the VCA model for the 2020 election.
The decision to explore the possibility of holding an election in which voting by mail is the only way to participate comes a day after the state of Wisconsin held a controversial primary election. Wisconsin governor Tony Evers, a Democrat, issued an executive order postponing in-person voting and extending the deadline for absentee ballots until June.
On Monday evening, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 against extending the deadline, which forced many voters in Wisconsin to risk their health amid the coronavirus pandemic in order to cast a ballot.
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump tweeted “Republicans should fight very hard when it comes to state wide mail-in voting. Democrats are clamoring for it. Tremendous potential for voter fraud, and for whatever reason, doesn’t work out well for Republicans.”
President Trump himself voted by mail in Florida’s primary election last month.
