How will wildfire evacuees vote in Gavin Newsom recall election? Counties have back-up plans

Voters are getting their ballots in the mail for the recall election of Gov. Gavin Newsom this week as tens of thousands of Californians are displaced from their homes due to wildfires that are raging across Northern California.

Voters who have evacuated from their homes are left with the question of how can they can cast ballots. Ballots must be postmarked or dropped off no later than Sept. 14 in order to be counted.

The California Secretary of State’s Office maintains a fact sheet that discusses what displaced voters can do in the event that they are unable to get a ballot.

Every county is offering in-person voting at their county election offices, though days and times vary by location and more information is available at vote.ca.gov.

“All voting locations will offer same day voter registration allowing you to register to vote at your new or temporary address. Even if you have been displaced outside of your home county you may use same day registration to register at your new or temporary address,” according to the Secretary of State’s Office.

Bill O’Neill, registrar of voters for El Dorado County, said that he’s heard from many voters in his area displaced by the Caldor Fire.

“We’ve had a lot of calls, a lot of emails,” O’Neill said.

O’Neill said that he and his staff have been out to evacuation sites, both formal and informal, to meet with residents and to offer them options when it comes to voting.

“We want the last thing that they ever have to think about to be, ‘How do I vote in this election?’” O’Neill said.

The registrar’s office has been disseminating fliers across the county, giving people choices on how they can get a ballot.

O’Neill said that mail is currently being held at the Diamond Springs post office for residents who have been evacuated, and they can collect their ballot there with proof of identification.

Alternatively, El Dorado County voters can send an email to vbm@edcgov.us to request a new ballot and one will be sent out in the mail to whatever address is given.

Where mail just isn’t an option, O’Neill said his office is there for them. The registrar’s office will be setting up in-person voting locations in areas affected in the coming days, with official vote centers set to open Sept. 4.

Finally, voters can call O’Neill’s office at 530-621-7480 and ask for a ballot.

“We’ll drive ballots to people if they call our office,” he said.

This story was originally published August 19, 2021 at 2:58 PM.