Mail-in ballots still pouring into designated boxes in Northern California
SAN JOSE, Calif. (NBC, KYMA) - The Midterm Elections are Tuesday and ballots are still pouring into designated boxes in San Jose.
Officials are sharing advice to voters who are still planning to turn in their mail-in ballot.
Ballots are pouring in from ballot boxes, and voters now have more options to cast your ballot because Santa Clara County opened 87 additional vote centers this weekend.
Election workers are already counting ballots at the Santa Clara County Registrar's Office. So far, it's received 284,000 ballots, about 26% of the county's registered voters.
Before the ballots are counted, election workers first verify signatures, then open the envelopes and prepare the ballots for tabulation.
Carmen Brammer just dropped off her ballot.
"It's important to vote because it is the one way I have of exercising my superpower, which is to make a difference in this country," Brammer expressed.
With the election on Tuesday, an NBC affiliate in the Bay Area asked election leaders about security at the polls.
"We do have contingency plans in place that we will implement in coordination with local law enforcement and our public safety partners to ensure that voters can cast their ballot free from intimidation or interference," said one election leader.
Right now, the county is receiving about 22,000 ballots a day, but election leaders are now urging people not to mail their ballots.
"At this time, the USPS cannot guarantee same-day postmarking, so anybody that tries to mail their ballot in now, there's no guarantee that it's going to reach us in time," the election leader explained.
He said it's best to drop off your ballot at a vote center or put it in an official ballot box.
However, some voters said they still haven't received their ballots, but the election leader shared what voters should do.
"They can just give us a call at...Vote 299-8683. Our staff here will be able to look up whether or not the ballot has been sent out to them. If it has been or even if it hasn't, they can find out ways to get a replacement ballot," the election leader spoke.
Another way to ensure every vote counts.
