Bay Area early voting numbers show impressive turnout

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. - Early voting is underway with the clock ticking to election day.

The Marin County Civic Center in San Rafael is just one of the early voting sites, for people who want to cast a ballot in-person. 

”This is sort of unchartered territory for us because typically our polling locations are only open on election day,” said Laine Hendricks, the spokesperson for Marin County. “So it will be interested to see how well received and how well utilized this option is and if we continue to perhaps offer that in future election cycles.”

Hendricks said so far, 122,000 vote-by-mail ballots have been collected in Marin County, and the county is projected to surpass the 70 percent voter turnout rate.

In Oakland, Representative Barbara Lee said they are working hard to make sure every vote counts. She said Senator Kamala Harris on the Democratic ticket adds excitement for many in Alameda County. “This is a historic, remarkable moment to have a Vice Presidential candidate from Oakland. Born in Oakland, raised in Berkeley, to be on the ticket as a Vice President. I think people are excited,” said Lee.

Political Science Professor David McCuan called 2020 the “pivot election.” “This particular election has really been framed by the pandemic, by COVID, by protests, the recession and how President Trump has conducted himself in office. This has created an election we have never seen before,” said McCuan.

He said there’s also a rise in first-time voters, which is a big deal especially in swing states like Florida and Wisconsin.