Voting during the pandemic

As the pandemic continued, voters had multiple options for casting their ballots. Some didn’t want to risk their health by voting in person.

In May, California’s Governor Newsom issued an executive order to mail all registered voters their ballots ahead of the election. This gave voters a safer alternative to in-person voting.

However, voters still had the option to vote in person if they preferred.

Johnathan Gonzales, a senior at Fresno State, was grateful to have multiple options for handing in his ballot.

“The reason that I voted through the mail was because of the whole pandemic and I believe that like we need to be safe during these times cause you know nothing is certain. And it’s very important to vote, so the fact we can mail in our votes still is just amazing so I definitely took advantage of that opportunity,” said Gonzales.

Fresno State senior Roxanne Ramirez was a first-time voter. She also did not mind voting by mail.

“One of the main reasons for voting by mail was because it was quicker and I didn’t want to wait into the long lines and also cause of covid I wanted to take that extra precaution and I wanted to be one of the earlier voters for this election,” Ramirez explained.

In addition to voting by mail or in person, citizens were also able to deposit their ballots into drop boxes around the state. Record numbers turned out across the country to select the next President.