Newsom order allows in-person November voting

In-person voting opportunities for the Nov. 3 General Election will take place, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom in his latest executive order.

The directive offers election officials a window of five months to prepare for in-person voting amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

“We are committed to protecting the hard-fought right for Californians to make their voices heard this November, even in the face of a pandemic,” Newsom said in a statement. “As the demonstrations across the country remind us, civic participation is critical to our democracy. If we are to address the racial inequities that exist in our institutions, policies and representation, we must ensure that all eligible Californians have an opportunity to safely cast their ballot.”

Parameters

To ensure safe voting, there must be one polling location per 10,000 registered voters, early voting underway by Oct. 31 and drop boxes available as early as Oct. 6.

Counties will also be able to have their disaster-service employees work election operations, should there be fewer poll workers.

The governor is expected to work with the Legislature, the Secretary of State and county elections officials on how other aspects of the November election, such as voter education and outreach, will be implemented while preserving public health and giving county elections officials needed flexibility, according to the Governor’s Office in a news release Wednesday.