Voter and Long Beach City College alumni J.D. Rollings said he did not trust mail-in voting, leading him to Pacific Coast Campus Saturday morning for the first day of early voting.
“Two million ballots now across the country have been thrashed, trashed, destroyed, thrown in a gutter, just because they had Trump on it,” he said, claiming that destroyed ballots and fraudulent action have been discovered in cities across California.
Rollings declined to say who he was voting for.
However, he cited the issues most important to him in this election as “Illegal immigration … China (which we know now as our most formidable enemy, not Russia), the economy, the military, and BLM and Antifa. That’s a big concern.”
Rollings alleged that he had been attacked by BLM two weeks before, due to being “white and skin-headed,” and an assumption that he was voting for Trump.
He said he had no concerns about voting in-person amid the pandemic, and that he also wanted to vote in-person due to being unable to vote online. “I heard that there were 60 million people online voting, so that could have jammed the system,” Rollings said.
Voter Tralton Jones also said he had concerns about other forms of voting such as mail-in. He said he was voting in-person because “I trust it. I’ve been doing it that way, and I trust it.” He said that potential issues such as unofficial drop-off boxes, – “even if they’re not true, you can’t tell what’s really going on,” led him to PCC.
Jones said that he had no concerns voting in-person during a pandemic, and his top concern in this election was healthcare, due to preexisting conditions that he has.
Poll worker Tiffany Davy said that there were a handful of people ready to vote around her 9 a.m. arrival, an hour before opening.
She said that everyone thus far has been compliant regarding COVID-19 safety guidelines.
Social distancing has been enforced at the voting center through monitoring how many people are allowed into the building at once, and cleaning each machine between every use.
The first morning of voting at PCC saw relatively low turnout, with no apparent line from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Election worker Dorrette Young said she was surprised at the lack of voter turnout, considering “the rush we’ve been seeing all over the country.” She speculated that many people may not be aware of early voting in Long Beach, and she said she expected a rush possibly beginning Sunday.
For some voters, such as LBCC student Liliana Duenas, in-person voting was necessary due to technical issues such as replicating the signature on her registration. She said she was not concerned about voting in-person amid a pandemic, and wanted to beat the lines by getting there early. She said she was voting for Joe Biden, and while not completely sure about all of the local elections, was voting for mostly Democratic candidates.
Voter Chilynna Lo said she was voting in-person because she did not receive her absentee ballot. “I need to change the community, I need school board, president. Just everything, I want to be changed.” Lo said that the most important change she would like to see is “The president.”
Davy has worked elections for 12 years. Besides following COVID-19 safety protocols, this is the second election utilizing updated voter machines, which has improved ease and access for voters, she said.
“This election is for everything. It’s for the future, it’s just that important. We’re talking about everybody that’s living now and those to come after. We’re talking about climate change, we’re talking about women’s rights. We’re talking about everything.”
Davy said that every election is “just as important,” even though local elections often see lower voter turnout. “It’s just essential that we step up and when it’s time to give our voices. Our vote is our power. Already this morning, we had folks that had just turned 18 years old, the young folks are voting. Because it’s their future.”
Two examples of youth involvement are Wilson High School student Marelia Garey and first-year LBCC student Lisa Hout, who both worked at PCC Saturday.
Garey said it was important for her to work at the polls this year, as a lot of people likely would not want to work them due to the pandemic.
“I just wanted to help with the election because it’s a very important one, because it really determines my future, and we have two very different candidates this year. So far it’s been kind of slow, but we’ve been helping people get checked in,” said Garey.
Hout also said she found it important to work at the polls due to her active involvement in political organizations and community youth organizing.
“Voting determines our future, and we should all vote for the people who can’t vote, like younger people in high school, and people who have language barriers and are scared to vote. Our voice matters and the election is really important, especially now. We need everyone to vote,” said Hout.
Hout said the Long Beach community specifically needs to pass Measure 15 and Measure S.
For those unsure of their voting rights or access, Davy said that election workers were always happy to help with any questions.
“2016 had some really troubling questions I hadn’t heard before, like ‘How many aliens have you helped vote?’ I only help humans vote, we’re all human. I’m here to get the humans voted,” Davy said.
She also said she has witnessed much voter confusion regarding the May Executive Order that issued a mail-in ballot to every voter, and misconceptions regarding people voting twice.
“I’ve never seen someone try to attempt to vote twice. People don’t really have that audacity. They’re not out here trying to take advantage,” she said.
“Just vote. There’s so many voter guides, so many resources out there if you’re feeling lost. I just encourage people to research and don’t be afraid to ask questions,” Davy said.
Regarding her research process prior to voting, “I’m looking at intent, implementation, who is it for? what does it serve? and what is its role going to be in the future? I’m voting by science, by ethics, by the idea of morality, and that as a social contract, we have to keep and invest in and ensure we’re choosing the right people,” Davy said.
