Here are Benicia election results as of 8:15 a.m. on November 4, from the Solano County Registrar of Voters website. This count includes in-person votes from all 10 precincts, and most but not all mail-in ballots. Considered unofficial, there will be additional mail-in ballots and provisional ballots, but for practical purposes, these results can be considered conclusive.
Steve Young is our new Mayor, and Terry Scott has squeaked by as the second of two new City Council members. Congratulations, Steve and Terry!
Deputy Registrar of Voters John Gardner specifies the rules
MAGA masks and Black Lives Matter masks are allowed, but masks with candidate’s names are not allowed.Vallejo Times Herald, By Katy St. Clair, October 29, 2020
California’s laws regarding electioneering within 100 feet of a polling place are pretty explicit: No signs or clothing with the name of a candidate, nor his or her likeness or logo.
So why is MAGA “Make America Great Again” attire acceptable?
Deputy Registrar of Voters John Gardner says MAGA is OK because it denotes a political idea, but “Ridin’ With Biden” is forbidden because it specifically denotes a candidate.
“It can’t have a candidate’s name on it,” he said. “But slogans are OK.”
In other words, “Build Back Better” will fly but not “Ridin’ With Biden.”
California’s Secretary of State came to the decision that slogans such as MAGA or Build Back Better are OK, but not all states agree, such as New York, which forbids MAGA merchandise near the polls.
Gardner pointed out that when Barack Obama was running for president, people were allowed to wear “Yes We Can” or “Change we can believe in” apparel.
And in 2016, “I’m With Her” for the Hillary Clinton campaign was fair game, too. Other political speech such as “Black Lives Matter” is also permitted.
However, you can forget “I Like Ike” because election officials don’t want to plant names in the heads of people who might walk into the polls not knowing who they are going to vote for, he said.
California bans what is known as “electioneering” within 100 feet of a voting booth. According to state law that means voters and others can’t make any “visible display or audible dissemination of information that advocates for or against any candidate or measure on the ballot.”
Banned stuff includes, but isn’t limited to, the following:
A display of a candidate’s name, likeness, or logo.
A display of a ballot measure’s number, title, subject or logo.
Latest info from Solano County Registrar of Voters
The Solano County Registrar of Voters (ROV) is reminding residents that Tuesday, October 27 is the last day the ROV can mail ballots to voters for the November 3 General Election. Voters who have not yet received a ballot for this election should contact the ROV by or before Tuesday.
“Starting back on Monday, October 5, we’ve been busy mailing out ballots to the more than 258,000 registered voters here in Solano County,” said Tim Flanagan, Solano County Chief Information Officer and Registrar of Voters. “I want to remind everyone that after next Tuesday, October 27, all ballots must be picked up in-person at the Registrar of Voters Office or at a polling place on Election Day.”
The ROV has extended its office hours on Saturday, October 24 and Saturday, October 31 from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. to give voters additional time to register to vote. Voters who are still not registered by Election Day can visit any polling location for same-day registration, giving them the option to participate in the General Election.
The ROV encourages voters to take advantage of NO-CONTACT VOTING OPTIONS by using one of 16 secure ballot boxes located throughout the County. Starting on Thursday, October 29, an additional 10 curbside ballot drop-off locations will open, allowing voters a convenient and safe way to drop off their ballots. For more information, including ballot box and curbside drop-off locations, visit the ROV website at www.SolanoCounty.com/Elections and click the “Ballot Drop-Off Sites” and Curbside Drop-Off Sites links.
Early Voting is available at the Registrar of Voter’s Office, located at the Solano County Administration Center, 675 Texas St, Suite 2600, in Fairfield.
In an email yesterday evening, Assistant Solano County Registrar of Voters John Gardner confirmed that “ballots are being mailed on Saturday 9/26.” Gardner added, “All ballots will be delivered to the post office at the same time for delivery.”
In years past, we might then assume that our ballots would arrive in our mailboxes on Monday, September 28. Given recent national stories about post office slow deliveries, we will have to watch and see.
Three ways to return your ballot early! (…and then there’s November 3)
Cast your ballot RIGHT AWAY: Mail it back on the same day you get it, maybe Monday or Tuesday, September 28 or 29. Return it ANYTIME via US Postal Service (postage paid).
If you wait a week, you can drop it off in person beginning Monday, October 5: There are 15 NO CONTACT DROP BOXES (inside office buildings). Here’s the list on the Solano County website, including City Clerks’ offices in all 7 Solano cities.
I hope you don’t wait until October 29, but if you do… There are 10 NO CONTACT CURBSIDE DROP-OFF LOCATIONS. For 5 days before election day, beginning on Thursday October 29, and continuing on Oct. 30, 31, Nov. 2 and Nov. 3, you can drop off ballots “Curbside.” (Stay in your car, hand ballot to pollworkers.) Here’s the list of at least one in each city, on the County website.
And there’s 4 options on ELECTION DAY, Tuesday, November 3:
NOT RECOMMENDED: It’s still possible to mail your ballot. If (and that’s a big IF) the post office postmarks it on Nov. 3, it will be valid and counted. Please DON’T do this! I wouldn’t mail my ballot at all, but if you must, I’d say do it at least 2 weeks prior to election day – by October 20.
The office building drop-off locations will still be available. List of locations.
The curbside drop-off locations will still be available. List of locations.
And there’s the good old In-Person voting at your local polling place. Your polling place location will be printed on your ballot. Note that some polling places may have changed since the last election. To plan ahead, here is the County’s list of 100 polling places. Better yet, to look up your location using your home address, go to this page on the County website: solanocounty.com/depts/rov/sample_ballot_polling_place_lookup.asp
Roger Straw, The Benicia Independent
Oh, and on a personal note… I am clearly encouraging everyone to vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Donald Trump is unfit in so many ways, a disaster already, and a threat to our democracy if returned for another 4 years. Dems, GOPs and Independents please unite and do the right thing – Trump and Trumpism have got to go in a landslide victory for Biden/Harris!
Here are Benicia election results as of 8:15 a.m. on November 4, from the Solano County Registrar of Voters website. This count includes in-person votes from all 10 precincts, and most but not all mail-in ballots. Considered unofficial, there will be additional mail-in ballots and provisional ballots, but for practical purposes, these results can be considered conclusive.
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