CCSF Visual Arts Building

Voters arrived at random throughout the day to fill out ballots and drop off signed and sealed mail-in ballots at the Visual Arts Building at the City College of San Francisco.

San Francisco voters had a flurry of emotions toward the election, from nervousness to motivation.

Poll worker inspector David Tejada, who has worked at this polling location three times, observed a much bigger turnout Tuesday than in previous elections.

“A lot of the ballots they are turning in are the mail-in ballots, but still, voters are coming in,” Tejada said.

Tejada said it felt good to see people he knows come in to vote because it allows them to have their voices heard.

By 11 a.m., 17 ballots had been submitted and the number of dropped-off ballots seemed to outnumber in-person voting.

Even in the rain, voters had a positive attitude. Voters came into the building and greeted the poll workers then thanked them on the way out, like San Francisco resident Brian Garcia.

“I think it’s important to thank people for taking the time out to do this, you have to show gratitude towards people that are taking the time to support our democracy,” Garcia said.

Around 2 p.m., Tejada said the red box—where voters insert completed mail-in ballots — was at least half full before the middle of the day.

Tanea Lunsford-Lynx, who teaches ethnic studies and social justice classes at CCSF, gasped before she described her emotions about this election. While there is so much on the ballot, she felt optimistic and was excited to see her high school students engaged in the election.

“It’s also hard to sit with some of my college students that can’t vote because of their citizenship status or just access to polling, so there’s a lot going on on this ballot,” Lunsford-Lynx said.

But because not everyone can vote, she feels it only emphasizes the importance of citizens coming out to cast their ballots.

“Voting is an opportunity for us to be a part of the collective and to make choices that are going to impact us all, hopefully in the best ways,” Lunsford-Lynx said.

When 4 p.m. approached, there was a total of 28 ballots with more than 26 mail-in ballots.