Less than a week to go before the Sept. 14 election, many questions remain – from what to do if you
lost your mail in ballot, whether or not you have to answer both questions, how to vote if you have had to evacuate due to wildfires?

At a press briefing hosted by Ethnic Media Services and California Black Media, Sept. 7, California Secretary of State officials Jana Lean and Joe Kocurek answer voters’ questions about the Gubernatorial Elections, which will be held on Sept. 14.

Kocurek said that people seemed to be activated and interested in this election. He said the turnout is already at 25%, similar to the last elections. People see that voting is important, whatever the election.

He said in Voting Choice Act (VCA) counties such as Los Angeles and San Diego, voting centers are open and people are able to vote in person early.

According to Lean, Voters Choice Act, the counties that are covered will open up to 10 days before the election for in-person voting.

Anyone can go anywhere and they are not required to their specific vote center as long as they are within the VCA county.

The locations also have language assistance and the voters can also drop their mail-in ballots.

Q&A:

Q: What happens if you lose your mail in ballot? Is it too late to ask for a new mail in ballot?
A: Contact your elections officials and ask for a new ballot. You can also vote provisionally at the voting centers.

Q: What if I forgot to sign?
A: County election officials will ask to come and sign the ballot.

Q: What if I made a mistake on the ballot?
A: You can get a new ballot.

Q: Does the Secretary of State’s office have a plan to do an official audit of the election results?
A: Every election has an audit. It’s a one percent tally of all the votes count and that has been in place for at least 20-30 years. There is a random sample of one percent of the ballots cast and they are pulled out and hand counted to check and ensure that what the ballot says is what the voting machine actually reflects.

Q: Is it a valid vote if the voter writes Newsom’s name on the ballot, and what do people have to do on election day if they decide to vote?
A: If someone votes on the Recall question, those will be counted but if someone writes Gavin Newsom in the candidate section, that will not be counted as the election cannot be for and against the same candidate.

There are two questions: whether or not to recall the governor, and there is a question on replacement for him, should there be a sufficient number of votes.

The vote on the recall question will be counted but the candidate as Gavin Newsom will not.

Q: How many signatures are required to get a gubernatorial recall on the ballot?
A: To qualify a recall of the Governor for the ballot, proponents need a minimum of 1,495,709 valid petition signatures. This is equal to 12 percent of the votes cast for the office of Governor in 2018, which is the last time the office was on the ballot.

Q: If Governor Newsom is recalled, when will the new governor take office?
A: The elections need to be certified. If they get more than 50% of the vote and it moves forward, the Secretary of State will certify the election results 38 days after the election and at that point the new person can be seated as the governor.

Q: What is the latest estimate on how much the recall election is costing the California tax payers?
A: The latest estimate runs to about $276 million.

Q: When will the election results be announced?
A: The final official result will be known after 38 days from the date of election.

Q: How do we know if we have placed our ballots in a drop box that would not favor one candidate over another?
A: The box will say official county drop box. You can also look for official drop box locations on the Secretary of State website and the county elections website. A list of them would also be in the county sample ballot and at My Voter Status. The locations are searchable by region, county and zip code.

Q: Where do we go to report possible abuses?
A: You can call the voter assistance hotline to report any suspicious behavior or any questions you have for the Secretary of State office. Staff will be working on the day before and the day of the election from 7AM to 8PM. Hotline numbers: (800) 345-VOTE (8683) – English • (888) 345-2692 – हिन्दी / Hindi.

Q: If the voter vote ‘No’ on the recall and does not choose another candidate, does this mean the voter does not get to choose a replacement?
A: You are allowed to vote on both the questions. If you choose No for the recall, you can still choose a candidate other than Newsom in case the recall happens, your vote for the new candidate will still count.

Q: What kind of Covid 19 protections are in place for voting in person?
A: There are different local county ordinances on vote by mail and voting in person. You should talk to your county elections office. We have asked that all voters are provided the opportunity to vote at vote centers and all voters and workers are protected. There will be adequate PPE available, and in case someone asks for a mask, they will be provided one. In addition, there are cleaning protocols and social distancing as directed by the local health officials.