Absentee Votings Slows, Officials Concerned

The number of residents submitting their absentee ballots in Tuolumne County has dropped off dramatically since Monday’s court ruling delaying the recall. This fact has the county’s top elections official, Tim Johnson, concerned.

Johnson said “We were having something like 20 to 30 people (each day) voting at our polling place at elections central, but today we had like 4 people.” Johnson said other counties have seen a similar drop-off.

So far, the county’s elections office has received about 20 percent of the absentee ballot that were sent out. That number is high. Elections officials here said that with three weeks to go before the general election last year, about 12 percent of absentee ballots were in.

Absentee ballots can be cast at the elections office on North Washington Street in Sonora until September 30th.