By Robert McDonald
The upcoming Presidential Primary on March 3 does not solely decide who is running for President. According to the Ventura County recorder’s office, Ventura County will vote on who will be the next county Supervisor, one of three people with a large amount of executive and legislative power for the county. The top candidates according to the VC Reporter are incumbent Kelly Long and challenger Kim Stephenson. Furthermore, two county judgeships will be decided on the March 3 election.
The Secretary of State’s Office states that one statewide bond initiative is going to be on the ballot. According to Ballotpedia, a nonprofit and nonpartisan online political encyclopedia, California Proposition 13, School and College Facilities Bond would “authorize $15 billion in general obligation bonds for school and college facilities, including $9 billion for preschool and K-12 schools, $4 billion for universities, and $2 billion for community colleges.”
The most well-known issue on the ballot is the Presidential Primary. The top vote getter for each party at the primary election is entitled to participate in the general election. Furthermore, the Secretary of State’s office states that “no voter may vote in the primary election of any political party other than the party he or she has disclosed a preference for upon registering to vote. However, a political party may authorize a person who has declined to disclose a party preference to vote in that party’s primary election.” Many voters feel their vote does not count; however, local elections can be decided by a voter not showing up.
Where to vote
Knowing where to vote for the upcoming March 3 election is simple to learn. Polling for students who live on campus, according to the recorder of Ventura County, is located in Town Center next to Tortillas at address, 45 Rincon Drive #103-105, Camarillo, CA 93012-8599 Ventura County. In California, polling locations are handled by counties. To discover where to vote in Ventura County, go to https://recorder.countyofventura.org/elections/ and select “Where Is My Polling Place”.
Provisional Ballot
Due to special circumstances, some voters are able to vote provisionally. According to the California Secretary of State office, “the provisional ballot is a regular ballot that is placed in a special envelope prior to being put in the ballot box.” Furthermore, according to the Secretary of State office, to vote provisionally a voter must:
•Believe they are registered to vote even though their names are not on the official voter registration list at the polling place.
•Be a vote by mail voter (someone who usually does not vote at a voting center), and has forgot to submit their ballot or bring their ballot with them to the voting center.
The Secretary of State office also states that “your provisional ballot will be counted after elections officials have confirmed that you are registered to vote in that county and you did not already vote in that election.” This safeguard is in place to ensure that someone is not illegally voting (to protect the integrity of our democracy). To check if your provisional vote is counted go to www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballot-status. If your vote is not counted the site will let know the reason why.
