A.) Because it was a ballot measure. Ballot measure and proposition are essentially synonyms in CA. Here’s the California Legislative Analyst’s Office take on Prop 50 - It’s titled Proposition 50 and the first heading is Analysis of Measure.
People have got to stop with the CT-thinking (unless you are whooshing me here - wouldn’t be the first time). How could that possibly be concealed and how could it possibly work? Any such nonsense would never go into effect because it would be stayed by court order the following morning.
I was kidding about maybe Measure 50 being the opposite of Prop 50, but was just giving an extreme example of what some people might think when seeing the ballot is about “Measure 50”. After months of being bombarded with Prop 50 and Proposition 50 ads, it is unsettling to not see Prop 50 mentioned on the ballot.
In particular, the main document I am referring to is the 32 page Complete Voter Information Guide, which does not anywhere mention a “Measure 50” (nor does Tamerlane’s link), but the documents use phrases such as “this measure”. My ballot had the title “State Measure 50” and the check boxes said “Yes on Measure 50” and “No on Measure 50”, but apparently that may differ by location.
Another thing about voting in person may be similar to why some people pay their electric bill in person or online rather than mailing a check. The last time I mailed something I had to avoid the remains of a milkshake or latte somebody had poured into the mailbox. Dropping something in a mail box or drop box just doesn’t feel very reliable, also my nearest polling place is closer than the nearest mailbox or ballot drop box.
Here, at least, there’s one early voting site for the entire county; which in my case is twice as far as my on the day site. If I’d had another reason to take a 25 mile round trip to the county seat during early voting times, I’d have voted while I was up there. As it happened, I didn’t. For this off year election in this particular location, it didn’t seem worth it to make a special trip when I expected to be able to ( and did) vote on the day.
While I expect the difference in miles is less in the cities, the difference in travel time may not be.
For one, I like to be entirely certain the ballot gets there on time.
For two, it’s probably a bit less work for the election people, who have enough trouble these days; and it’s not a whole lot more work for me, as I’ll do whatever other errands I’ve got in that town at the same time. I do have to go to town once in a while anyway.
For three, I like voting in person. It feels more like being part of something.
ETA: I’ve never had more than a short line, in either location.
At least in Santa Barbara County, besides the USPS option, there are ballot dropoff boxes scattered around pretty regularly. Any ballot that goes in that box before it’s locked gets counted, perhaps unlike the USPS, who have made clear that they might not be able to process day-of mailings in time.
If there’s a drop off box here, it’s probably at the county seat. And there certainly wouldn’t be one closer than the nearest village — which is also where my on the day polling place is.
I’ll add a fourth, very specific for me. Even though I’ve been on the absentee voter register for decades, I haven’t bothered to actually vote by mail more than once since 2018. Because that’s when I moved into a condo complex where the clubhouse/gym is the local polling place . It’s less than a five minute walk from my front door to a dropbox - so I fill out my mail ballot, walk over on the day, drop it in the box. Literally much quicker and easier than driving to a mailbox, of which there are none immediately nearby.
I worked the '24 election and it seemed that a large percentage of folks who received mail-in ballots came in to drop their ballot in the box. I can imagine with all the nonsense, they just want to ensure it’s going directly where intended. Plus we applaud them and give them " I voted" stickers
I guess it depends what county you’re in. Here in Alameda County, there are 67 voter drop box locations, so there’s always one not too far from where you live.
Hmmmph. We don’t get no stinking stickers with ours.
I guess I mostly echo the sentiment that people like to feel part of the event. They still have to stand in line even if they’re just dropping off ( albeit, a quicker line).
I expect the different population levels of the counties has a good deal to do with it. — yeah, just checked. If we’ve got even one drop box in the county, we’ve got more per head than you do.
Though in some heavily populated areas covering even a short distance can be time consuming.
I always dropped off my ballot into one of those boxes - but always a week or two before election day. It helped that the box was located very close to where I worked at the time.
In 2020, there was news about the mail slowing down to ‘save cost’. el donald was raising a stink about counting ballots that arrived after election day. If your letter goes in the mailbox after its collection time, it’s postmark is for the next day.
With all of those shenanigans, if it went in the drop box in time, the ballot was in time.
I’m not @hajario, but I noticed that they said they mailed it in the morning, not this morning. I took that to mean not the morning of the day when they made the post, but just the morning of whatever previous day they mailed it.
. It’s less than a five minute walk from my front door to a dropbox - so I fill out my mail ballot, walk over on the day, drop it in the box. Literally much quicker and easier than driving to a mailbox, of which there are none immediately nearby.