PLACER COUNTY, Calif. — Placer County will have vote centers rather than polling places for future elections, starting with the March 2024 Presidential Primary Election.
This move comes after the Placer County Board of Supervisors approved a Voter’s Choice Act election model in June 2023. Moving to this election model means there will be fewer machines in fewer locations.
The county said this transition was mainly because it's getting more and more difficult to find 1,500+ volunteers along with 200+ sites to host polling places during elections. The county also said polling places can be restrictive on voting times and locations since voters can only vote at an assigned polling place on election day.
Can people still vote in person?
According to the Placer County elections website, people can vote in person at any vote center. Different than polling places, vote centers are open for several days leading up to an election and aren't restricted to voters of a certain precinct. Paper ballots will be printed on demand to reflect each voter's specific contests and counted on site.
Placer County will have 29 vote centers for the presidential primary. Depending on the location, each vote center will be open for either four days or 11 days and each one will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Election Day, the vote centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
If people don't want to vote in person, they can vote by mail and drop it at a ballot drop box. Ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
