Summer of 2020 in San Diego had two constant themes in the local news cycle: the COVID-19 pandemic and regular protests associated with the Black Lives Matter movement that were heavily attended by counter-protesters and vigilante groups. Both ongoing news items are cause for San Diego voters to take safety precautions when visiting the polls this year.
Californian Secretary of State Alex Padilla issued an Oct. 6 notice to Registrar of Voters offices advising “county elections officials should be prepared to handle incidents involving disruption and/or voter intimidation at the office of the elections official and/or polling locations.”
San Diego County communication officer Tracy Defore said the San Diego County Registrar of Voters has been working collaboratively with state, federal and local law enforcement agencies to ensure safe and secure operations at all polling places and mail ballot drop-off locations, and stands ready to respond to any credible intelligence provided by law enforcement.
“Poll workers are trained on de-escalation techniques and on what actions to take if there is a disturbance at a polling location,” Defore said.
San Diego County Sheriff media relations director Ricardo Lopez said the Registrar of Voters is the best resource for safe voting information.
According to the county Registrar of Voters, 235 super poll sites will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. beginning Saturday, Oct. 31, through Nov. 2 for in person-voting.
All of the sites chosen as polling stations for the upcoming election facilitate people safely maintaining a six-foot circle of space around them for social distancing.
Some sites, such as El Capitan High School in Lakeside have a fence surrounding the entire property that physically limits the presence of politically-charged activist groups from the area where citizens cast their votes.
However, that does not prevent any group from rallying outside the campus boundary.
Californian state elections code 18541 clearly limits electioneering—the visible display or audible dissemination of information that advocates for or against any candidate or measure on the ballot— within 100 feet of any voting locations.
The Registrar of Voters also advises anyone voting in person to: make sure they go to their assigned polling place, which can be found on their website at www.sdvote.com; be prepared with voting choices before venturing out so there is little time spent at the polling site; vote early or by mail if possible to avoid long lines; bring a face mask and be cognizant of social distancing.
They also assembled a 2020-specific safety information flyer which includes a reminder that intimidating voters, campaigning within the 100 feet limit of voting locations and vandalizing polling places are all illegal.
“Report suspicious behavior to the Registrar’s office at (858) 565-5800 or to the San Diego Law Enforcement Coordination Center (858) 495- 7200 or www.sd-lecc.org,” Defore said.
