Nov 8, 2022
Edith Jones and Sonia Lewis gather election materials for a voter inside the Park Merced polling place on Nov. 8, 2022. (Miguel Francesco Carrion / Golden Gate Xpress)
Several voters at 350 Arballo Drive were upset and surprised that the Gonzalez Drive voting poll moved locations, but they were still able to submit their ballots.
Resident Chris F. walked in the rain without an umbrella and took his vote to Gonzalez Drive.
“I am annoyed that they moved the voting booth, [it] served everybody that lived there, and I had a hard time trying to find this on a wet soggy day like this,” he said. “It is not too fun having to hike a long distance.”
Arballo Drive had four poll workers waiting inside for voters. Most of the voters in the early morning were senior citizens that came in groups.
Edith Jones is a voting clerk at the Gonzalez location who volunteered to encourage citizen engagement.
“We only had maybe six people that have actually voted and maybe 10 that have dropped off their ballot — it is really slow today,” Jones said. “Hopefully it is going to pick up.”
The voting clerks inside the building guided citizens to sign the back of their ballot before dropping it into the ballot box.
Voters had a mixed reaction, some preferring a political party over another but overall, voter participation was strongly encouraged.
