Sacramento County is one of about 30 counties that participate in the Voter’s Choice Act. The 2016 law created an opt-in program for counties to improve voter turnout in the state by allowing more time for in-person voting.
Before it passed, voters waited until election day to cast their ballot at a voting center. County spokesperson Ken Casparis says voters are no longer assigned to a single polling place and don’t have to wait until the last minute.
“Any registered voter in Sacramento County can go to any of the vote centers that are open in the county and cast their ballot.”
The first group of vote centers opens on Saturday May 23rd. More locations will open on May 30th ahead of the June 2nd primary election.
Casparis says the centers also allow people who missed California’s registration deadline to register conditionally and vote on the same day.
“We always encourage voters who want to vote in-person to vote early to avoid some of those lines.”
Despite this attempt to make in-person voting more accessible, 94 percent of Sacramento County voters cast ballots by mail. Vote center locations and hours are posted on the county’s elections website.
Beyond Sacramento, some of the counties with early voting sites opening on Saturday include Yolo, Nevada, Fresno, Los Angeles and San Diego.
