Nevada County elections office announces plans for June 8 election

By Gregory J. Diaz, Nevada County Clerk-Recorder                                                                                                         

On June 8, the Nevada County Elections Office will be conducting a Statewide Direct Primary Election.  Federal, State and Local contests will be on your ballot.  In preparation for the upcoming primary, I would like to share some information which should be useful to our voters.

Who may vote in this election?  Regardless of political party affiliation, all voters may vote on all non-partisan contests and state measures.  Voters affiliated with a qualified political party may vote for that party’s candidate(s).

Cross-over Voting.  Voters who have chosen not to register with a political party are registered as Decline to State (Non-Partisan) voters.  Many Decline To State voters are under the impression that not registering with a political party means they will see all the candidates from all the parties on their ballots.  Unfortunately, this is not the case.  California is a Closed Primary state, meaning only voters registered with a political party will receive that party’s ballot and be able to vote for that party’s candidate(s).  Before every election, the qualified political parties in California determine whether or not they are going to allow these Decline to State voters the option of “crossing over” to vote in their party’s primary.  This is decided at a statewide level and is a decision made by each political party’s governing body.

For this election, the parties that are allowing Decline To State voters to cross over are: Democratic & Republican.  Decline To State voters wishing to “cross over” must come to the Rood Center with their vote by mail ballot or go to any polling place on Election Day to receive a party ballot.

Polling Place Changes.  In our on-going effort to ensure all our polling places are accessible to all voters, including those with disabilities, we have made a few polling place changes.  We have notified all voters who are affected by these polling place changes.  Our improvements with our polling place locations will benefit all voters and make the voting experience more enjoyable.

Polling Place Improvements.  Voters will notice some substantive improvements at their polling locations, made possible by a HAVA grant we applied for and received in the amount of $145,200.  Say goodbye to the old cardboard voting booths!  Nevada County now has ADA compliant voting booths, which is a huge improvement when compared to the cardboard booths.  We will be erecting very visible signs identifying your polling place.  Also, we will have Ballot Call Bells placed at each polling location for voters who require curbside service.

Web Services.  We have set up the following web services for voters: Locate Your Polling Place; Find out if your Vote By Mail Ballot was received by our office; Find out your Registration Status and Verification of Receipt and Status of your Provisional Ballot.  Proceed to www.mynevadacounty/elections to access these services.

Ballot Drop-Off Box.  For the convenience of our vote by mail voters, your ballots can be inserted in our ballot drop-off box which is located right in front of the Rood Center.  Ballots can be dropped off in this box 24/7.

Twitter.  Nevada County Elections has now truly arrived to the Twenty-First century.  We tweet.  Please feel free to follow our tweets as we prepare and conduct the 2010 Statewide Direct Primary Election: www.twitter.com/nevcoelections.