Rain doesn’t deter voters from showing up at polling places to cast ballots

Despite falling rain and the chance of thunderstorms, a steady stream of people turned up at Palo Alto’s voting centers to cast their ballots in the 2022 general election on Tuesday morning.

“It’s picking up,” lead poll worker Jodi Erwin said, referring to the small cluster of voters filling out their registration information at the Lucie Stern Community Center at 9:30 a.m. “This is the first time we’ve had anyone in line,” she added, noting that the weekend turnout was comparatively slow.

When asked about the number of received ballots, Erwin mentioned that 25 in-person ballots had been scanned, although a lot more were mail-in ballots and not yet counted.

At the Palo Alto Art Center auditorium, voter turnout was higher with a notable buzz at the door’s entrance, as poll workers greeted voters and ushered them inside to drop off their ballots or vote in person. Dan Mahoney, one of the lead poll workers, noted that already more people had shown up to vote on Election Day than they had all week.

“It’s quintupled,” he said, turning to fist-bump a friend he recognized walking into the voting center.

Mahoney, who has been a volunteer poll worker for 14 years, described this year’s turnout as unusually busy for a midterm election, which he attributed to national exposure about the elections and a growing awareness about the importance of voting.

Palo Alto resident and voter Natalie Salk, agreed, noting that there were more people voting at the Palo Alto Art Center auditorium than she had seen in previous years.

“Usually, there’s no one here,” she said.

The ease of access at the Palo Alto Art Center auditorium also was on full display. Poll workers mentioned the big parking lot as one reason for the large number of people showing up.

“It’s also easier than ever to vote,” Mahoney said, referring to the different mail-in and in-person options.

Community members could even vote from their cars, he said, describing a situation in which a mobile voting station, with the assistance of two poll workers, was brought to a vehicle for a driver with disabilities over the weekend.

“People should be able to vote,” Mahoney said. “You know Palo Alto city’s motto of ‘anywhere, anytime, anyhow?’ That’s what we should be doing with voting.”

Phyllis Wedvick, 74, a poll worker at the Lucie Stern Community Center, also highlighted the importance of voting, which she has been doing all her life. This election is her first volunteering as a poll worker, an opportunity she learned about through the organization Power the Polls.

“I didn’t realize there was a poll worker shortage,” Wedvick said. “And when I heard about it, I decided to volunteer. I wanted to be of service, be part of the community and country and show pride in it,” she said. Wedvick, with a sprightly step, then greeted voters who were coming in through the doors.

Completed ballots can be submitted at drop-off locations through Election Day. The following locations will be open for in-person voting from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday: Cubberley Community Center, 4000 Middlefield Road; Lucie Stern Community Center, 1305 Middlefield Road; Mitchell Park Community Center, 3700 Middlefield Road; Palo Alto Art Center ,1313 Newell Road; Palo Alto Elks Lodge, 4249 El Camino Real; Stanford University’s Tresidder Center, 459 Lagunita Drive; and Ventura Community Center, 3990 Ventura Court.