<p>Registrar of Voters announces virtual public hearings to consider draft plan for new election model</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>

The Sonoma County Registrar of Voters office announced today that it will be holding three virtual public hearings at the end of August on the County of Sonoma’s draft election administration plan for transitioning to the Voter’s Choice Act election model. The meetings come after the first public consultation meetings on the election administration plan in May and soliciting input from the public on the draft plan over two weeks in July.

The details of the upcoming hearings are listed below. All will be conducted virtually by Zoom. To join a meeting, go to the link provided and, if necessary, enter the appropriate passcode and/or Webinar ID.

Hearing #1

Date/Time: Aug. 26 at 3:30 p.m.

Link: https://sonomacounty.zoom.us/j/98517375029? pwd=WlB4UlJ0UzJzNjVna0cwNTRPSWsyZz09

Passcode: 255819

Webinar ID: 985 1737 5029

Hearing #2

Date/Time: Aug. 27 at 2 p.m.

Link: https://sonomacounty.zoom.us/j/95824731041? pwd=WlZ3b2tCMC9ZR1pscDVNZUdtbURYdz09

Passcode: 437163

Webinar ID: 958 2473 1041

Hearing #3

Date/Time: Aug. 30 at 11 a.m.

Link: https://sonomacounty.zoom.us/j/94748557911? pwd=SHcva1BPUUpOQXlLdWJJMmxIY3dWdz09

Passcode: 209781

Webinar ID: 947 4855 7911

Background

On March 16, 2021, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved transitioning Sonoma County from a traditional polling place election model to the Voter’s Choice Act election model. The full changeover will not occur until after the Nov. 2, 2021, Consolidated General Election. Named after the law on which it is based, the Voter’s Choice Act election model requires a county registrar of voters office to mail all active, registered voters a ballot.

Voters who wish to vote in person may still do so at vote centers. Vote centers are similar to polling places except: (1) There are typically fewer of them; and (2) they provide greater flexibility to voters because they are open multiple days and voters registered in the county can cast a vote on a regular ballot at any vote center. In contrast, polling places are usually only open on Election Day itself and are voter-specific, meaning that if a voter goes to a polling place other than the one that is assigned to them, they will have to cast their vote with a provisional ballot.

The main purpose of the hearings is to solicit and receive feedback on the draft election administration plan and ways the registrar of voters office can improve the voting experience for everyone. This process may include discussing topics such as the placement of potential vote centers, strategies for reaching out to underserved communities, etc. The meeting will also serve to begin educating the public about the Voter’s Choice Act election model and how it differs from the traditional polling place election model.

For more information about these meetings and Sonoma County’s transition to the Voter’s Choice Act election model, please call (707) 565-6800, email rov-info@sonoma-county.org, or visit the registrar of voters office in person at 435 Fiscal Drive, Santa Rosa. The office is open regular business hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, excluding county holidays). Anyone visiting the office should be prepared to wear a mask and follow county facility health guidelines.