Low early ballot count in Bay Area counties just hours before Election Day
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) -- In just a few hours, the polls open in the Bay Area and while election officials hope for a big turnout, so far, the numbers are low.
Only about 15% of registered voters in California have returned their ballots just a matter of hours before election day, according to numbers from Political Data, Inc.
Data from counties across the Bay Area seems to reflect that statewide picture.
Santa Clara County reported about 16% of its residents have returned their ballots, San Francisco reported about 20%. In San Mateo County just 88,000 ballots have come back out of the more than 430,000 that went out.
Jim Irizarry is the Assistant Chief Elections Officer in San Mateo County.
"In terms of looking at the actual numbers, compared to say 2018, we're at about maybe 25% of that, at this juncture, but that could change in a heartbeat," said Irizarry.
Political analysts say that the absence of high-profile big ticket races could dent turnout, as could ballot fatigue as Californians just voted in last year's gubernatorial recall. They say anti-election rhetoric can also play a part.
