Election Day In Marin County: 74% Have Voted

MARIN COUNTY, CA — Election Day is underway in Marin County and according to county officials, Tuesday morning was relatively calm. There was little crowding and almost no lines at polling centers across the county since 74 percent of all Marin voters have already cast a ballot.

Of the 175,220 registered voters in Marin County, 128,000 cast a ballot by mail and 4,000 have voted at a polling place since they opened Saturday. Marin County is largely blue, with 105,668 registered Democrats, 23,243 registered Republicans and 38,209 with no identified party affiliation.

While the amount of votes already cast may seem like a landslide, it isn't unusual for Marin County to see this high of a turnout. This year, Registrar of Voters, Lynda Roberts has predicted a 90 percent voter turnout, but 2008 saw a 91 percent turnout and 2016 saw 89 percent.

And for the March Primary Election, about 50 percent of voters cast their ballots before Election Day.

"So, yes, more ballots are coming in earlier," Roberts said. "However, this is the first time all voters have received a vote-by-mail ballot, so there is no good way to compare to past elections. I think people are excited to vote and the drop boxes have made a difference."

Much of the Golden State was on high alert for reports of voter intimidation, protest or attempted fraud Tuesday, but in Marin County, nothing noteworthy had been reported as of noon Tuesday, according to the Registrar of Voters, Lynda Roberts.

Voters were also strongly encouraged to arrive wearing a face covering, but those who refused would not be turned away.

"Poll workers are trained to handle those situations and accommodate those voters to fill out their ballots outdoors," according to Roberts' office.

Here's the latest on how ballots will be counted in Marin County on Election Day:

Voters have until 8 p.m. tonight to register to vote or cast a vote in person, and those votes will not be counted until Tuesday night. But Marin County already began counting ballots on Oct. 26. The first results that roll in Tuesday night will include the number of vote-by-mail ballots the county has been able to count up until Tuesday and all in-person votes from those who visited a vote center beginning Oct. 31.

But after the polls close Tuesday, Marin County election officials will only count in-person ballots and the vote-by-mail ballots they've been able to count thus far. Vote-by-mail ballots typically are not counted on election night and provisional ballots will be processed in the weeks following Election Day.

Marin County officials must certify vote totals by Dec. 3.

On Wednesday, election officials in the county will likely have a good idea of which races will still need to be processed and which have seen landslide victories.