County’s ‘VoteMobile’ is hitting the road

The newly purchased VoteMobile will take to the streets of Santa Cruz County and open for voting for the first time on Monday, according to a release from County Clerk Gail Pellerin.

The vehicle was purchased by Santa Cruz County Elections.

The VoteMobile will be parked at the Lighthouse Point Park on West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz from 9 a.m. to noon Monday before an afternoon stop from 2- 5 p.m. at Watsonville City Plaza Park, 358 Main St.

“Bringing voting directly to the voters has always been a dream of mine,” said Pellerin in a prepared release. “Thanks to some grant funds we received this year, that dream has come true.”

This year, ballots have been mailed to all voters in Santa Cruz County. Some voters still prefer to vote in person, Pellerin said.

Voters may drop by the red, white and blue VoteMobile to get a replacement ballot and vote it there or take it to go, drop off their voted ballot, vote an accessible ballot on the Tablet, vote a Spanish ballot on the Tablet, register to vote, or get any other voter service.

The VoteMobile will soon visit farmers markets, senior housing facilities, the city of Davenport, the Summit and other areas of the county. To see the VoteMobile’s schedule, visit votescount.us.

Having a mobile voting unit is especially useful when serving voters who have been displaced by the fires and to provide for easy, accessible voting for people who can’t leave their homes due to the global pandemic, Pellerin said. The VoteMobile also allows the county to bring voting to neighborhoods that will not have a traditional polling place this election due to the pandemic.

Starting Oct. 31, an additional 16 voting locations will be open in the county until 8 p.m. on Nov. 3. The voting location at UC Santa Cruz will be open Nov. 2-3. Locations and hours are printed in the Voter Information Guide and inserted with voter’s ballot. There have been a couple of changes and the final list of locations is posted online on the website.

The county now has more than 168,000 registered voters — a record number. Oct. 19 is the last day to register to vote for the Nov. 3 election. To register online, visit registertovote.ca.gov or pick up a card at any post office, library, city hall, county elections office, or the VoteMobile. Voters can ask for a card to be mailed to them by calling 831- 454-2060.