By Dianne Anderson

As soon as the ballots hit the mail the week of August 16, the ball is in the voter’s court.

Some shudder to think what will happen if not enough voters cast their ballots for the September 14 election where Democrat Gavin Newsom versus 46 candidates, including 24 Republicans, are now competing for his seat.

Dr. Regina Patton Stell, President of the Riverside Branch NAACP, said that timing of this election is unfamiliar to the community, and the fear is that many voters will miss out. She has been mobilizing chapter members.

“This is truly not a partisan issue, this is a civic big-ticket item. Regardless of the partisanship of this decision, every California resident should vote,” she said.

Her strategy in the coming weeks is focused on making sure that the general community is aware that the ballots are coming.

“We’re urging them to please, please take part in this decision because the outcome is going to affect all of us, either to our liking or not,” she said. “We’re taking it very seriously.”

Next week, voters should watch their mailbox and pay close attention to how they fill out their ballot. Critics say that it can be confusing.

Voters will decide if Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, should be removed from his seat. A “No” vote means that Newsom stays in office as Governor.

If over 50% vote “yes” to remove Newsom, then he will be removed. Down the ballot, the question is who of the 46 candidates should replace him. If Newsom is recalled, the candidate with the most votes wins.

The reason for the recall is that a Republican-initiated petition pulled over two million signatures citing why they feel that Gov. Newsom should be removed from office.

Last month, a Sacramento judge ruled against Newsom indicating on the ballot that he is a Democrat because he missed a filing date. However, the judge recently approved the voter guide could say that the recall as being led by Republicans and Trump supporters.

The San Bernardino Registrar of Voters details what voters need to know this time around to get their ballot in on time.

Voters should check registration status at VoterStatus.sos.ca.gov. Registration is also easy, and voters have until August 30 to register at RegisterToVote.ca.gov, then watch for their ballot in the mail.

The San Bernardino Registrar of Voters states that polling places will be open on Election Day, Tuesday, September 14 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m, but they are encouraging voters to vote before Election Day as polling places may have significant lines on September 14.

Voters can vote by mail, or at ballot drop-off locations, early vote sites, or polling places.

Michael Segura with Inland Congregations United for Change, said that their organization has been pushing to get younger voters to vote, and set policies at high schools to make voting more accessible.

“Young leadership is rising because of youth voter participation. We’ve seen young leaders take office. Ben Reynozo was with ICUC when he was a kid. Now he’s the 5th Ward Councilman in San Bernardino,” he said.

Segura sees younger civic participation into leadership roles, taking seats on committees, commissions and nonprofits, and thinks it is bridging the generation gap of the old days.

“Locally people of color are starting to come out and vote and it’s going to show coming up in the following election in 2022 when we have local offices up for election,” he said.

He also feels that young people should pay close attention to the Gubernatorial recall.

“It may not appear to them to be affecting them locally, but a lot of those policies that the Governor can sign off on can trickle down to our local economies,” he said.

On August 15, The California Democratic Party and Riverside Democratic Party are teaming up to host a Stop the Recall Zoom event from 3-5:00 p.m. They also have several other events ongoing until the vote, and are calling for phone banking participants.

“These are virtual phone banks, so you can call from home. We will meet on Zoom. Experienced callers can jump right in. If you need training, phone bank captains will be there to help every step of the way,” the website states.

For more on voting from the San Bernardino Registrar of Voters on the Recall, see

For mail ballot drop off locations, see
https://www.sbcountyelections.com/Voting/MailBallotDropOff.aspx

For more information from Riverside Registrar of Voters, see

The final list of Riverside ballot-drop off locations will be posted on August 16
see, www.voteinfo.net

To see track when your vote has been counted, see https://california.ballottrax.net/voter/

To see California Democratic Party phonebanking events, see https://www.mobilize.us/cadems/event/405152/