County Registrar Provides Voting Options for November Election

With Election Day less than 40 days away and ballots being mailed on October 5th, the Mayor’s Office has been advocating for better accessibility to voting during the age of COVID-19. Every Californian who is registered to vote will receive a vote-by-mail ballot. Ballots can be mailed via the USPS, as long as it is postmarked by Election Day on November 3rd. While most polling locations will not be open, the Alameda County Registrar of Voters has confirmed it will have some Accessible Voting Locations (AVLs) in addition to the deployment of additional ballot drop boxes (these are collected directly by the County Registrar). Below is a list of locations:

Ballot Drop Boxes

Berkeley City Hall, 2180 Milvia St
Claremont Branch Library, 2940 Benvenue Ave
Frances Albrier Community Center, 2800 Park St
North Branch Library, 1170 The Alameda
UC Berkeley, Sproul Plaza between Sather Gate and Sproul Hall
West Branch Library, 1125 University Ave

Accessible Voting Locations

Berkeley High School, 1980 Allston Way
City of Berkeley Building (formerly Premier Cru), 1011 University Ave
Ed Roberts Campus, 3075 Adeline Ave
Epworth United Methodist Church, 1953 Hopkins St
Lawerence Hall of Science, 1 Centennial Dr
Longfellow Middle School, 1500 Derby St
MLK Student Union, Pauley Ballroom, 2455 Bancroft Way, 3rd Floor
Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda
Willard Middle School, 2425 Stuart St

AVLs will be open for voting beginning on Saturday, October 31, and will generally be open from 8:30am-5pm on Saturday 10/31, Sunday 11/1, and Monday 11/2, and 8am-8pm on Election Day, 11/3. If there are updates to the locations and timings, that will be provided in a future email. For more details on ballot drop boxes and AVLs, visit the Alameda County Registrar of Voters.

Protecting the Unhoused During Poor Air Quality

When the Bay Area was shrouded by the worst air quality in the world earlier this month, we took quick action to protect the most vulnerable populations. For many people without shelter, the poor air quality was not just an inconvenience, but an impediment to their health. In response, the City distributed 900 KN95 masks, which filter out 95% of particulates. During the worst days, on September 6, 8, and 11, we opened an inclement weather shelter, which had air purifiers, temperature checks, hand sanitizer, fans, shades drawn and water. While the air quality has been good this week, fire season is far from over. This weekend a red flag warning has been issued and poor air quality is likely to return. We are ready to address the threat of returning bad air quality and extreme fire danger to ensure that all members of our community are safe. This includes opening the inclement weather center this Sunday and Monday from 10am-6pm.

One More Month to Complete the Census

Last night, a federal judge ordered the end date of the 2020 US Census to be moved to October 31st. This reverses a decision from the Commerce Department to shorten the deadline to September 30th, just 5 days away. While this new deadline buys us time (assuming the Trump Administration does not successfully appeal this decision), it should not be an excuse to hold off on completing the census if you have not done so already. The Census takes less than 10 minutes to fill out, and doing so secures $10,000 in federal funding to our community over the next decade for each person counted. An accurate count of the census will also provide equal representation from City Council to Congress. California is at risk of losing a Congressional seat if an undercount happens.

Berkeley's self-response rate is currently at 71.6%. 2010's final self-response rate was 72.3%. These numbers do not include people that have been counted through Census outreach. A majority of census tracts in Berkeley are reporting higher self-response rates compared to 2010, but that is weighed down by Southside, Downtown, and Northside which have much lower reporting rates compared to 2010 due to students being out of town. The two most under-reported tracts are located in the Telegraph Avenue area of Southside at 44.1% (60.5% in 2010) and the Piedmont Avenue area of Southside at 48.2% (60.1% in 2010). It’s not too late for students to fill out the census, even if they are not currently living in Berkeley. Students who are not sure if they have responded or need to respond can take this short, interactive online quiz to find out.