California began in-person voting this weekend, 11% of voters have voted early

SAN JOSE, CA - Early in-person voting began across the state this weekend, including in the Bay Area. A local political scientist says campaigns will now turn their attention to those who haven’t voted yet.

"This time I wanted to make sure that instead of mailing it in, I wanted to come and drop it off because I feel like this election is one of the most important elections, I feel, in my lifetime," said C.J., of Santa Clara.

As Tuesday, November 5th, gets closer, some voters in the Bay Area are voting early rather than waiting until election day. Early voting in California began October 7th by mail or ballot drop off and in-person early voting began October 26th. 

"I was talking to one of my relatives who’s a senior, and they were letting me know that they didn’t have this opportunity to vote," said C.J. 

"Obviously, we all have different priorities, but locally, that’s where you’re going to see the biggest impact on your day-to-day life, is those local changes, are those local elections," said Dave Villanueva, of San Francisco.

According to Political Data, Inc., about 11% of California’s voters have voted early, with those over age 65 voting early the most. Political scientist Melissa Michelson says Californians, in particular, have to consider many other issues this election, besides the presidential race.

"I’ve got to vote on all these propositions, I’ve got to vote on city council, I’ve got to vote on all this other stuff. I’m not ready. I need to do more research. So, they’re waiting to return their ballot because they haven’t made all those decisions yet," said Melissa Michelson, Menlo College Political Science Professor. 

In San Francisco and in San Jose, vote center staff told KTVU that some people are taking advantage of in-person early voting, and they say if you want to ensure that your vote counts, it’s not too late.

"It’s too late to register to vote online, but you can still register if you come in person at the vote centers or at the Registrar of Voters office. You can conditionally register to vote and vote on the same day," said Steve Goltiao, with the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters. 

Michelson also says that once you’ve voted, you most likely will stop getting campaign mailers or text messages from candidates because they’re able to track and see that you’ve already voted.