As Baxter and I walked this morning I was thinking about Ballot security and all the chaos the administration has purposely cast around it. I submitted our ballots yesterday by putting them into one of the 10 Official Ballot Drop Boxes placed around our county. After hearing from a friend that she had mailed hers because she questioned the strength of the lock on the ballot drop box, I got to thinking about it and started to question my decision. Our local USPS is right next door to where our ballot drop box is so for me it really was a coin toss. I had considered driving to the elections office but that is 30 miles away.
Last night I emailed the Humboldt County Office of Elections inquiring about follow up. First thing this morning I was pleasantly surprised and reassured via an email response from one of the department staff that they were picking up ballots today and that I would get a confirmation receipt by Friday. I am registered for ballot confirmation via email and text. We live in California where voting is made easy; every registered voter gets a ballot in the mail. There are multiple options for casting ones ballot: mail it, use a ballot drop box, go to one of the four Voter Assistance Centers, vote in person, or drop off your ballot at the County Elections Office.
According to the Humboldt County website and the 2010 US Census, the total population of Humboldt County is 134,623. The county has 7 incorporated cities ranging in size from approximately 400 to 27,000 persons. Approximately half of the county’s residents live in unincorporated communities. We are a mostly rural county located on the Northern California coastline. Options for voting (especially in the time of Covid) are important. I’m impressed with our local elections office and appreciate how seriously they take their responsibility. Our mail in ballots came with very clear instructions, county contact information, and identified the various options of where one could vote or drop off their ballot.
With the exception of the shameful red states that we have all been hearing about, the ones who are doing their darnedest to make voting hard by limiting the options, I believe the integrity of voting is in tact. As my husband and I have moved around developing our careers, we have voted in four western states (OR, HI, WA, CA) often getting to know our local officials via work and community service projects. The elections office in each of those states are staffed by dedicated people who very much believe in democracy no matter which side of the isle they were on. Unless you live in one of those states that appear to be literally screwing with the system, ignore the messaging that’s being thrown at us, have some faith in your local public officials. They’ve got this! Please exercise your right to vote! Everyone deserves to have their voice heard.
Enjoy the pics from today’s walk. #iluvtowalk #baxteronthego #trinidadcalifornia, #humboldt #vote2020
Perspectives From My Trail 