San Rafael, CA – The Marin County Elections Department has a new plan to carry out updated elections procedures that will be put in place in 2022 and tell voters about the changes well in advance.
Registrar of Voters Lynda Roberts said the Elections staff recently finalized an Election Administration Plan as required in the implementation of the Voter’s Choice Act (VCA), and the Secretary of State’s office recently approved the plan.
One major change under the Voter’s Choice Act, thoroughly addressed in Marin’s approved plan, is a switch from Election Day polling places to multi-day, regional vote centers at spots around the county. The other big change is that every registered voter will be mailed a vote-by-mail ballot packet starting 29 days before an election — a change most Marin voters won’t notice due to the high rate of vote-by-mail voters, now more than 80%.
“For voters wanting in-person services, however, we believe having regionally-placed locations open for more days will add to their convenience,” Roberts said.
The Voter’s Choice Act of 2016, also called Senate Bill 450, allowed several pilot counties to conduct elections starting in 2018 according to the new model. All counties became eligible to make the change in 2020. The Marin County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution May 25 of this year confirming plans to implement VCA.
Learn more about the local election process or check your registration status on www.marinvotes.org, and follow the Elections Department on Facebook.