Antonio Torres / El Popular

California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber Encouraged Voters to Return Their Ballots Early

Sacramento, CA .- Californians received an invitation from California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber to take advantage and return their ballots early before the upcoming elections in the state and throughout the country, where various electoral positions will be elected, including the presidential election and proposals that interest the various communities.

"California voters are no longer limited to a single voting day. Why wait in line on Election Day when you have early voting options?" said Secretary Weber. "Once you receive your ballot."

The following was announced by Joe Kocurek, Assistant Secretary of State for Communications at the California Secretary of State during the press conference held by Ethnic Media Services and California Black Media at a briefing on California ethnic media.

The representative of the California Secretary of State's office, Joe Kocurek, thanked the presentation and commented that we are currently in a political environment in which a lot of information emerges, although he stressed that there is also unreliable information and for this purpose the briefing was held with ethnic media in California in order to receive accurate information on the practical aspects of voting.

With voting day just days away, he noted that Californians can vote now, they can return their ballot by mail, they can drop it off in a secure drop box or they can go in person to drop off their ballot. He explained that people can search on the Internet for their polling place. The state official said the mail-in ballot must be postmarked by Election Day, Nov. 5 and those received before that date so they can be properly processed.

"In California we make it very easy for people, for eligible voters, to return their ballot," said Joe Kocurek, who explained that "I think one of the things that voters need to remember is that they have to sign the back of the envelope," that is, the back of the envelope. That's because it's used to verify voter identity "when we get things in the mail."

He explained that one of the things that may be of interest to many of the voters is that "we have voter hotlines in 10 languages including English, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese Chinese.

In the conversation with representatives of the California Secretary of State's office, it was detailed that "voting with your ballot is easy." Voters can follow simple steps to vote with their vote-by-mail ballot:

Complete it. Mark your options on your vote-by-mail ballot.

Seal it. Secure your ballot inside the vote-by-mail ballot return envelope.

Sign it. Sign the outside of your vote-by-mail ballot return envelope.

• Each voter must make sure that their signature matches the one on their California driver's license or state ID or the signature they provided when they registered to vote. County election officials will compare signatures before ballots are counted.

Return. There are three ways voters can return a vote-by-mail ballot in the general election:

• By drop box: Drop off the completed vote-by-mail ballot in a secure official drop box in your county or anywhere in the state anytime between October 8 and 8:00 p.m. on November 5.

• By mail: Place the completed vote-by-mail ballot in a drop box. Ballots must be stamped by Nov. 5. No stamp needed!

• In person: Drop off the completed vote-by-mail ballot by 8:00 p.m. on November 5 at any polling place or center in the state, or at the voter's county elections office. Polling places will be available in all counties prior to Election Day. Polling places offer voter registration, replacement ballots, accessible voting machines, and language assistance.

It was also announced that the Secretary of State's voter information hotline is available to all voters if they have questions about the voting process, early voting and ballot drop locations, and to request voter registration forms or the VIG. Voters can call one of the toll-free voter hotlines listed below: • (800) 345-VOTE (8683) – English • (800) 232-VOTE (8682) – Spanish / Spanish • (800) 339-2857 – 中文 / Chinese • (888) 345-2692 – हि न्दी / Hindi • (800) 339-2865 - 日本語 / Japanese • (888) 345-4917 - ខ្មរ / Khmer • (866) 575-1558 - 한국어 / Korean • (800) 339-2957 - Tagalog • (855) 345-3933 - ภาษาไทย / Thai • (800) 339-8163 - Việt ngữ / Vietnamese • 711 – TTY/TDD

Voting centers open for in-person early voting in all Voter Choice Act counties beginning Oct. 26, 2024. Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by November 12, 2024.

PHOTO:

The representative of the California Secretary of State's office, Joe Kocurek, detailed how early voting can be done and invited Californians to exercise their right to vote.