With voting for the Nov. 3 election underway, a Santa Cruz elections official is highlighting her term for a safe, secure way to return your ballot that might make you blush.
At an elections event in Santa Cruz, county Clerk Tricia Webber ran through some ballot return options before blurting out a personal favorite:
“Or, they can vote naked."
"Naked voting" has nothing to do with clothes, or lack thereof. It's when a voter turns in their marked-up ballot at an in-person voting location. Voter? fully clothed. Ballot ...
“ The ballot itself is naked because it's not inside its envelope," said Webber.
“ Santa Cruz can get away with a naked ballot," said Monterey County Registrar of Voters Gina Martinez. "Monterey County, we're going to say ‘vote live.’ You can vote your vote-by-mail ballot live.”
Either way, the voter provides their name and address and verifies each with a signature before handing the ballot over to an election worker.
Naked — or live — ballots are processed more efficiently than ones that arrive in an envelope. Martinez and Webber are fans because voters can still fill ballots out at home and yet end up saving time for their busy staff.
If going in person doesn’t fit, voters can, of course, mail back their ballots or use a secure county dropbox. As long as the ballot is dressed in the envelope.
Back at the event in Santa Cruz, Public Libraries Director Christopher Platt reminded attendees that voting resources are available at local branches.
And in case there was still any confusion, “ In a library, we prefer you show up clothed," he added with a smile. "We do have codes of conduct."
Voting resources are online at votescount.com, countyofmonterey.gov and sanbenitocountyca.gov.
