A planned Palo Alto school election has fallen victim to the coronavirus, and a pair of May elections elsewhere will force California officials to decide whether safety or tradition will rule the day when it comes to voting during a pandemic.
The Palo Alto Unified School District decided Tuesday night to postpone an all-mail special election May 5 on whether to extend a $15 million annual parcel tax.
“We are filing papers to withdraw our May election proposal,” Superintendent Don Austin said in an email. “We will evaluate the situation when conditions are no longer in an emergency state.”
All-mail elections, however, are a possibility for two Southern California elections scheduled for May 12. Registrars are trying to decide whether to go that route, a call that elections officials around the country must make as the pandemic spreads.
In the 25th Congressional District race in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, Democrat Christy Smith and Republican Mike Garcia are running to fill out the term of Democrat Katie Hill, who resigned in November. Balloting was slated to follow California’s new vote center model, where all registered voters receive ballots in the mail, but are also allowed to use vote centers staffed by county election workers.
That’s now in question, said Mike Sanchez, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County registrar.
“We haven’t changed anything yet, but given the (coronavirus) situation, that could change,” he said. The possibility of eliminating the vote centers and accepting only ballots that are mailed in or deposited at local drop boxes “is being discussed.”
The candidates, who will also be on the November ballot seeking a full, two-year term, are fine with the possible change.
“California and America are facing unprecedented circumstances, forcing us to adapt to many changes in our daily lives,” Garcia said in a statement. “I know the citizens of our country will rise to these challenges, and this announcement allows for the safest participation possible in this important election.”
Changes could be tougher in Riverside County, where Republican Melissa Melendez and Democrat Elizabeth Romero are running to complete the term of Republican state Sen. Jeff Stone, who resigned in November to take a job with the U.S. Department of Labor.
Riverside ran a traditional election March 3, with hundreds of neighborhood polling places throughout the county. Converting to a mail-only election for the part of the county that includes Blythe, Indio, Palm Springs and Temecula would require major changes in a very short time.
Riverside County election officials did not respond to requests for comments.
For many officials across the country, traditional polling place elections are a health hazard at a time when people are being asked to shelter in place and avoid all unnecessary contact with other people. Lines of people crowded into a school auditorium or local library don’t fit those restrictions. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine postponed his state’s primary Tuesday, saying the risks were just too high.
In California, local officials don’t have the final say in how state elections, such as those for Congress and the Legislature, are conducted. To hold an all-mail election would require an order by the governor, said Sanchez of Los Angeles County.
In the past, that approval has been nearly automatic.
Alpine, Plumas and Sierra counties, all among the smallest in the state, conduct their elections by mail, even for governor and president.
Bay Area counties already run a number of all-mail local elections.
On May 5, Sonoma County has a pair of special tax measures on the ballot, both for districts with fewer than 5,000 voters.
“Our May 5 election is proceeding on schedule,” said Wendy Hudson, the county’s chief deputy registrar. “We are asking staff who are ill to not come in, and asking those who do report to work to keep the appropriate social distance of 6 feet from their co-workers.”
It’s a similar situation in Contra Costa County, where about 4,500 voters will get mail ballots for a Blackhawk parcel tax election, and in Napa County, where 221 voters will decide on an measure affecting Lake Berryessa resorts.
“We have conducted these small elections by mail-only for many years,” John Tuteur, the Napa County clerk and registrar, said in an email. “Under current rules, we will have skeleton staff in the office if voters do need in-person service (the dog ate their ballot or ?).”
John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfwildermuth
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Coronavirus and voting: California counties looking at all-mail elections - San Francisco Chronicle
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