Less than two weeks until Election Day
Don’t forget to mail in your ballot
Less than two weeks to go. We think it’s safe to say that people are ready for Nov. 6 and Election Day. Yes, that will also signal the beginning of the 2020 campaigning, but at least there will be a bit of a respite. If we’re tired and the public is tired, we can’t imagine what the candidates are experiencing. It’s astounding to us the stamina that is demanded in today’s political arena to be everywhere and see everyone and the need to be cognizant of every facial expression, gesture or comment that could go viral in an instant.
The pace may be more leisurely for our local races — the health care districts, Feather River College board and Portola City Council — maybe not so much for those for and against Measure B who have worked diligently to express their opinions. But we are on the home stretch and soon the results will be known, though perhaps not as quickly as some voters would want. Ballots are checked for signatures as they arrive in the county clerk’s office, and, as of last Friday, 1,116 of the county’s roughly 12,000 registered voters had returned their ballots.
Kathy Williams, the county’s chief elections official, said that it’s normal for a group of ballots to come in initially, and then more will trickle in over the weeks leading up to Election Day, with many more arriving toward the end. She said if that trend continues in this election, some races will probably be simply too close to call until a week or more after ballots are cast, since all postmarked ballots must be signature verified before they can be counted.
Once again this week we are publishing a list of the state propositions and what various groups are recommending. We hope that our readers find this helpful. In this issue of the Portola Reporter, we are running a question and answer piece for the 11 individuals vying for a seat on the city council. We have run intros and Q&As with the candidates for the various local races, as well as coverage of forums if they were held, and numerous opinion pieces for Measure B. We have also published a slew of letters advocating for the measure, a proposition or a candidate.
Our next issue, Oct. 31, will be the last before Election Day. So this is to serve as a reminder to our readers and letter writers that we will still print letters pertaining to the election in that issue, but none that raise an accusation or new information that someone wouldn’t have an opportunity to rebut.
It has been quite the run leading up to the midterm elections. There is much at stake on the local, state and federal levels. From our vantage point, it definitely feels like people are engaged in a level beyond what has been typical. For all who participated, no matter what issue or candidate you support, it’s impressive to see the level of passion and commitment that has been exhibited.