Election Day in Mendocino County: ‘Our phone is ringing off the hook’

With only a few hours left to cast their ballots either for or against the proposed recall of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Mendocino County voters were frantically calling the Elections Office in Ukiah with last-minute questions Tuesday.

“Our phone is ringing off the hook,” said Registrar Katrina Bartolomie Tuesday afternoon. When asked what voters wanted to know, she said, “Everything under the sun.”

For those who have not yet returned their mail-in ballot, Bartolomie said the easiest way to do that is by putting it inside a ballot drop box, but that must be done by 8 p.m. Sept. 14.

“The boxes will be locked and emptied at 8 p.m.,” she said, adding that the boxes in Ukiah are located in the parking lot just outside the front doors of the county administration building at 501 Low Gap Road, or at City Hall, located at 301 Seminary Avenue.

Other drop-box locations in Mendocino County are: city of Willits, 111 E. Commercial St, Willits; city of Fort Bragg, 416 N. Franklin St., Fort Bragg; city of Point Arena, and 451 School St., Point Arena.

Voters can also still mail their ballots, but are advised that a ballot needs to have been postmarked by Sept. 14, 2021, or it won’t be counted. If a ballot has a valid postmark, Bartolomie said it has seven days to reach her office and still be counted.

Bartolomie said that her office mailed out 55,093 ballots last month for the Gubernatorial Recall Election, and as of Tuesday her office had processed about 26,000, or “awful close to half.”

Since the ballots were mailed, Bartolomie said her staff has been fielding questions from voters, many of whom were confused about whether they need to, or can, answer both questions.

“If you vote ‘no’ on the recall question, you can still vote on a replacement candidate,” she said. “They are two separate questions. You can also vote ‘yes’ on the recall, and not pick a candidate. Your vote will still be counted. You don’t have to vote on both to have your vote be counted.”

However, what voters can’t do, she said, is write in “Gov. Gavin Newsom” as their chosen candidate.

“Gavin Newsom is not a ‘qualified write-in candidate,’” Bartolomie said. “He cannot be a candidate in his own recall. So if you write in Gavin Newsom, it won’t be counted.”

Also, voters need to be sure and sign their ballot, or it won’t be counted. If you still have questions, call the Elections Office at 707234-6819.

Results will be posted on the county website after 8 p.m. here: https://www. mendocinocounty.org/government/assessor-countyclerk-recorder-elections/ current-election-results