There’s this little thing called an election just around the corner.
“We’re good to go,” said Courtney Morrow, Mariposa County Clerk who is also in charge of elections.
The Nov. 3 midterm election will feature just one local race, which is for the open supervisor seat in District 1. There, Lisa Edelheit will face Stanley Bissmeyer.
Ballots will be mailed on Oct. 5, said Morrow, who admitted there was some anxiety over the recent controversy surrounding mail-in ballots. The United States Supreme Court recently ruled the election can go on as planned and rejected an executive order by President Trump insisting certain envelopes be used and voter information be given to the United States Postal Service.
“We’re all mail,” said Morrow, which has been the case for several election cycles.
She did say there was no contact from the postal service and had nothing bu praise for the local post office.
“They go above and beyond for the ballots,” said Morrow.
Morrow said had the court ruled the other way, it would have been nearly impossible to get everything done, especially on the printing side where the envelopes were printed some two months ago.
She said more than 11,000 ballots will be mailed to all registered voters in Mariposa County.
Once received, voters can either return them via the U.S. Mail (no postage required) or put them in drop boxes located throughout the county. They can also be dropped at the clerk’s office in Mariposa.
She said staff at Mariposa County Public Works helps with bringing the ballots to the clerk’s office, which is a big assistance.
“I can’t say enough about public works,” said Morrow. “I am very grateful.”
She did say there is one person they hire each year to handle the ballot boxes in Wawona and Yosemite Valley.
This year’s ballot will feature not only the statewide races and one local race, but there are 14 ballot propositions, as well. The ballot will measure in at a whopping 22 inches and there are two sides to fill out.
Thankfully, said Morrow, it will be just one sheet.
She noted there will be no special district races on the ballot as there are either just enough or not enough candidates who have filed. Those include utility districts and others.
As with all elections, there will be two consecutive weekends when offices will be open if people decide to vote in person. Those will be Oct. 24-25 and Oct. 31-Nov. 1. Those are at the clerk’s office in Mariposa and the Lushmeadows Fire Station.
Voting centers in Greeley Hill and El Portal will be open all day on election day.
A smooth process
For Morrow, she has been working in elections for more than 20 years.
She was voted as the county clerk and took over the top spot in the office on Jan. 2, 2023.
“It is an ongoing process,” said Morrow.
However, she thinks because of the experience in the office and a dedicated staff, “we’re pretty well set in the process.”
Another huge factor, she said, was the advent of mail-in voting in California.
“Mail-in was the best thing we’ve ever done,” said Morrow.
One of the big factors is having the ability to check signatures, she said. With the mail-in voting, she said signatures can be checked as they come in and not all on election day.
“Every single signature is checked,” said Morrow. “It’s secure.”
That’s a big issue for Morrow, who said the main point is to make sure everyone’s vote is counted properly.
She added that those people who think mail-in voting can lead to fraud should learn more about the system and they would understand it is actually more secure.
Morrow said everyone in her office has been trained on signature verification by a retired FBI agent. “It’s secure,” she said.
The final countdown
Because mailed ballots go out 29 days before an election, that time is fast approaching.
Morrow said she is unsure about how high of a turnout there will be in this election, noting the local races generally draw more interest and this year, there is only one race and it is isolated in a supervisor district.
“Mariposa County usually has higher turnout than the state average,” she said.
Because of all of the ballot initiatives, Morrow recommends voters utilize the voter guide that is annually produced by the League of Women Voters. There are paper copies available at the clerk’s office and they are also available online.
“It is a wonderful publication,” she said. “The propositions can be complex and they break it down in simple terms.”
As for registering to vote, Morrow said people can do it online or at the clerk’s office. All of the information is available on the clerk’s office website at www.mariposacounty.gov/71/County-Clerk.
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