Just hours remain before voter assistance centers across the state close in the 2021 gubernatorial election. In Butte County, around half of voters are not rushing to the polls.
Butte County Elections confirms to KRCR that approximately 61,800 ballots were returned prior to Tuesday. With 124,955 registered voters in the county (as of the most recent data), this represents nearly 50% of all voters registered prior to election day.
Will the remaining ballots, over 60,000, all be returned by poll-close? Likely not. Many, however, will be seen by those opting to hold onto their vote-by-mail ballot until election day and vote in person.
That's what hundreds of voters who visited one of Butte County's six voter assistant centers did, some calling it the "right" way to submit their ballot.
"So many of our loved ones have paid the ultimate price so that we can enjoy this freedom and it would be a disgrace if I didn't take time out of my day to honor them with what they paid for. It cost their lives, it just costs me my time," says Tiffany Ritchie, who just finished voting at the Chico Masonic Family Center with her 10-month-old child Tuesday morning.
"It was smooth. I just don't like it. I'd rather go back inside, stand in line if I need to, and do the electronic process," says John Anderson who was exiting the center with his wife, Shelly Anderson, Tuesday morning. "I don't trust that though either because with the electronic they can break into it."
"I'd just rather do it in person. It's just tradition," says Shelly.
Butte County elections would not elaborate on what the voting makeout looks like for the previously returned ballots. While statewide polling shows a wide lead to retain Governor Gavin Newsom, Democrats tend to vote early and Republicans tend to vote on election day.
All six voter assistance centers across Butte County close at 8 p.m. Tuesday night. Unofficial election results for the county are expected to be released at 8:30 p.m. Information about voter assistance centers and drop box locations can be found in Butte County's Voter Information Guide.
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