There’s been a lot of talk this year about election integrity, with the president himself saying that if he loses it’ll be because the election is rigged.
In talking with Bay Area voters, NBC Bay Area found a good level of trust in the election process at the local level.
For public health reasons, California sent vote-by-mail ballots to all registered voters in the state. Already 6.5 million of those voters returned their ballots. That’s two-and-a-half times the number at this same point in the last presidential election.
The state has removed unofficial ballot boxes in several counties – none in the Bay Area – and is now in court with the Republican party over several related issues.
But voters who spoke with NBC Bay Area overwhelmingly said the talk of fraud is overblown:
Rachel Stockton of Redwood City: "I think this country has a strong history of free and fair eletions, and so I have no doubt that that will happen again."
Hannah Yamamoto of Livermore: "I think that with every election you have to worry about integrity."
Local
Edward Sawma of Redwood City: "I'm just worried that there’s so much noise about it, but I feel like governments, state and local governments know how to run elections."
Here are some tips on how to protect your vote:
- Get it in early. About 70% of rejected ballots arrive late; there were about 100,000 in the primary.
- Check your signature against your driver's license to see what election workers are trying to match.
- If you make a mistake, don’t correct it, request a new ballot.
- Voter harassment and intimidation are illegal; report such behavior by calling 800-345-VOTE.
