California November 3, 2020 General Election Updates
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Governor Gavin Newsom has signed an executive order to clarify the in-person voting locations required for the November 3, 2020 General Election. Many county elections officials have expressed concerns about meeting in-person voting requirements given the strain of the pandemic on voting locations and poll worker recruitment.
Per the Governor’s Executive Order, county elections officials must provide in-person voting options. They have two options for the General Election:
- Provide the same level of in-person voting options they had for the March 3, 2020 Presidential Primary Election.
OR
- Open a minimum of 1 in-person voting location per 10,000 registered voters from Saturday October 31 through Election Day (November 3). They must also open a minimum of 1 vote-by-mail ballot drop off location or drop box per 15,000 registered voters beginning 28 days before the Election.
In-person voting opportunities will be available in every county’s elections office starting 29 days before Election Day.
Become a Poll Worker
County elections officials need help this fall. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our most vulnerable poll workers will not be able to volunteer.
Serving as a poll worker is an opportunity to help your community, while being paid.
Governor Newsom Signs Legislation to
Fortify California's General Election
Governor Gavin Newsom has signed AB 860—authored by Assemblymember Marc Berman with Senator Tom Umberg as a joint author—which codifies that county elections officials must mail a ballot to every registered, active voter ahead of the November 3, 2020 General Election.
AB 860 provisions for the November 3, 2020 General Election:
- Requires county elections officials to mail every active registered voter a ballot.
- Requires every county elections officials to adopt a vote-by-mail ballot tracking system. Californians can sign up for the Secretary of State’s “Where’s My Ballot?” tool to receive automatic updates about the status of their vote-by-mail ballot by text (SMS), voice call, or email. Californians can sign-up at wheresmyballot.sos.ca.gov.
- Requires that county elections officials process and count ballots that were postmarked on or before Election Day and arrive to elections officials no later than 17 days after Election Day. Under current law, vote-by-mail ballots that arrive more than three days after the election are not counted.
- Allows county elections officials to begin processing returned vote-by-mail ballots 29 days before Election Day. Under current law, counties can begin processing vote-by-mail ballots 10 business days before an election. Results will still not be released until after all polls close on Election Night.
Notable Coverage:
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The November 3, 2020 General Election is Getting Closer!
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The November 3, 2020 General Election is getting closer! Need to register to vote? Want to check your voter registration status? We can help.
The Secretary of State's Office launched
vote.ca.gov,
a webpage that serves as a one-stop site that houses all the tools you need to cast your ballot in 2020. It provides resources on registration, your voter status, how to vote, election cybersecurity, as well as the rights you have as a voter in California.
Other Resources:
Visit
WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov
to sign up for automated notifications about your vote-by-mail ballots by email, text (SMS), or voice call.
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Secretary Padilla Hosts Press Conference Call on
Census Operations Resuming in Northern California
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Secretary of State Alex Padilla participated in a press conference call with a coalition of Northern California Census leaders as U.S. Census operations restart in the region.
The press conference highlighted joint efforts spanning the Region One tract to achieve a complete count for California, ensuring that communities will receive the resources they need. Secretary Padilla serves as Chair of the California Complete Count Committee for the 2020 U.S. Census.
The Region One tract covers Butte, Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Yolo, and Yuba counties.
Achieving a complete count will require dedicated outreach to hard-to-count communities. In preparation for that effort, the Secretary of State’s office has created fact sheets for 25
Hard-to-Reach California Counties
.
Here are the fact sheets for the Hard-to-Reach California Counties in Region One:
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State Archives Invites Californians to
Document Their COVID-19 Stories
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The California State Archives has
called on all Californians
to document how the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has affected their lives in a project titled: “California COVID-19 Chronicles.”
The State of California has taken proactive measures to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, which is a global pandemic that has caused Californians to shelter-in-place since March 19, 2020. Government entities, hospitals, and countless others are working hard to keep their staff and the public safe while still providing critical services. During these challenging times, schools have closed and moved online, tens of thousands have lost their jobs, health care professionals are working around the clock, and statewide stay at home orders have been put in place to protect those who are most vulnerable.
The California State Archives has developed the California COVID-19 Chronicles project to document the stories and experiences of Californians during these challenging and uncertain times. The State Archives invites the public to share their story and experience
here
. Submissions will serve as an important contribution to this community memory project and will be a critical primary source so that future generations can better understand how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted Californians. Public submissions could become a part of the State Archives’ historical collections and may be featured in the online California COVID-19 Chronicle collection webpage.
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Secretary of State Alex Padilla Statement on
US Supreme Court DACA Ruling
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Secretary of State Alex Padilla issued the following statement on the US Supreme Court ruling blocking the Trump administration's attempt to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
“Today’s ruling is a victory for Dreamers and a win for our country which has promised thousands of young immigrants a chance to live the American dream. They deserve to live in the only country they have known as their home, without fear. Dreamers make our nation, our state, and our communities stronger.
“I now call on the Trump administration to resume taking DACA applications immediately. And I urge Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform, including a path to citizenship, so that Dreamers and their families don’t have to live in a constant state of uncertainty.”
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Secretary Padilla Hosts Town Halls with
Members of the California Legislature on the
US Census and November General Election
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Secretary of State Alex Padilla hosted town halls with Assemblymember Luz Rivas and Assemblymember Rob Bonta to emphasize the importance of achieving a complete count in the U.S. Census and discuss changes in the ways Californians will cast their ballots in the upcoming November General Election.
Achieving a complete count will require dedicated outreach to hard-to-count communities. In preparation for that effort, the Secretary of State’s office has created fact sheets for 25
Hard-to-Reach California Counties
.
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State Archives Releases New Digital Exhibit
Featuring California's Yosemite National Park
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The California State Archives has released a new online exhibit, titled “
Yosemite: California’s First State Park
,” which features details into the history of California’s first state park, founded in 1864. The land that makes up Yosemite remained in state custody for more than 40 years, even as surrounding lands came under federal protection. This is the State Archives’
24th online exhibit to be hosted by Google Arts & Culture
. Secretary Padilla has made digitizing the treasures of the State Archives a priority.
This exhibit can also be viewed in Spanish, if the user’s browser is set to Spanish.
In 1849, friends William Penn Abrams and U. N. Reamer, visitors at a local trading post, stumbled upon Yosemite Valley while hunting a grizzly bear. Abrams wrote that they came upon a “trail that led past a valley enclosed by stupendous cliffs rising perhaps 3,000 feet from their base and which gave us cause for wonder.” It is likely that they were viewing the valley from Old Inspiration Point. The exhibit also details how and why Yosemite became famous, thanks to a prominent San Francisco magazine publisher James M. Hutchings in 1855.
This exhibit focuses on the period during which Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove were under the stewardship of the state of California. Included are original maps, correspondences, photographs, and other documents preserved at the California State Archives, which tell the story of the early management of Yosemite.
About Google Arts & Culture
Google Arts & Culture
is a new, immersive way to experience art, history, culture and world wonders from over a thousand organizations worldwide. Google Arts & Culture has been created by the Google Cultural Institute and it is available for free for everyone on
the web
, on
iOS
and
Android
. Read more
here
.
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