PD Editorial: Vote early, and track your ballot

Millions of Americans have voted already for the Nov. 3 general election. Have you? If there’s ever a year to submit your ballot ahead of time, this is it.

The pandemic makes old-style voting, with long lines at the polls, potentially unsafe. In the past, voters had to sign up to vote by mail and skip the lines. More than 80% of Sonoma County voters are permanently registered to vote by mail. This year California is mailing a ballot to every voter.

Changes and delays in U.S. Postal Service operations have created legitimate worries about whether ballots will arrive in time to be counted on Election Day. Meanwhile, horrific wildfires have uprooted many Californians. If they have new temporary or permanent addresses, they’ll need to update their voter information.

And if all that’s not enough, President Donald Trump and others have fostered distrust in mail voting. Their claims are so outlandish that even some Republicans balked. Oregon’s Republican secretary of state went on “60 Minutes” this summer to explain how well voting by mail has worked in that state for decades.

None of those challenges are insurmountable, though, as Sonoma County Registrar of Voters Deva Marie Proto explained in Sunday’s Forum section.

As long as voters drop their ballot in the mail using the postage-paid envelope in time for a Nov. 3 postmark, it will count. Voters who want to be a little more cautious needn’t depend on the post office, though. They can instead deposit ballots at any of the 20 secure drop boxes already set up around the county. Or take them to any of the 30 in-person voting locations that will be open from Oct. 31 to Nov. 3, replacing traditional precinct polling stations. For voters who are antsy to mark their ballots in person, they can do so at the county Registrar of Voters Office, 435 Fiscal Drive in Santa Rosa, from now until Election Day.

That plethora of choices exists because county and state election officials are working hard to ensure ballot access for everyone in these uncertain times.

So when should you vote? The general election is still a few weeks away. In normal times, waiting until the final day seemed logical in case of last-minute surprises in candidate or ballot measure campaigns. But considering the myriad uncertainties surrounding this year’s election, an earlier vote seems prudent.

Mailing or dropping off a ballot early leaves time to correct mistakes that sometimes happen, like a sloppy signature that can’t be verified. Voters can go to WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov to track the status of their ballot.

In addition, getting your ballot in early helps ensure that your vote is included in the initial election results reported soon after the polls close on Nov. 3. Candidates and talking heads will be spinning results on election night — before many votes are counted.

This looks like a record year for voter participation. Whereas the West Coast is experienced in mail balloting, other states already are having difficulty, which — combined with potentially long lines at their polls on Election Day — could delay national results for days.

Voting is a civic duty. This year, it doesn’t need to be a last-minute duty.

You can send letters to the editor to letters@pressdemocrat.com.